Chapter 548: East African History Class
East Africa had no intention of acknowledging Japan's concerns. Since it had already obtained legal permission from the Far Eastern Empire, stationing troops to safeguard its local economic interests was perfectly justified. Japanese protests or interference were trivial matters.
...
First Town City.
Otto Secondary School.
"Today we continue our study of ancient world history. Learning from history helps us understand the rise and fall of civilizations, so history is a compulsory subject for every East African middle school student."
The importance of history was self-evident, especially in a nation like East Africa. As was well known, East Africa lacked its own historical tradition, so it had no choice but to teach world history.
Much of East Africa's short past was tied to colonization and slavery—a dark history unfit for public promotion.
However, Ernst had no plans to hide this. He believed it was better to confront than to suppress such things. With time, East Africa could develop its own officially endorsed mainstream historical narrative.
Unlike Americans, who would never include the genocide of Native Americans in public education, Ernst dared to include the persecution of Black people in East Africa's curriculum. He figured that by the time these narratives took hold, he would be gone and wouldn't care about infamy.
"The Three Kingdoms were unified into the Jin Dynasty, but it was a short-lived regime... eventually leading to the chaos of the Five Barbarians. This closely mirrors the decline of the Western Roman Empire. In both cases, decadence among the ruling elite and widespread extravagance were key contributors to their downfall."
"A thriving nation needs a healthy, progressive social atmosphere where everyone embraces their civic responsibilities and fulfills their roles..."
While the teacher continued lecturing, some students began their own discussions.
"The fall of the Jin Dynasty had a lot to do with the feudal system. The War of the Eight Princes drained the population, resources, and strength of Western Jin. The state essentially destroyed itself before it was conquered. Internal conflict was the root cause; foreign invasion was merely the result."
"During the early Jin period, nomads had already begun migrating into Chinese territories. Ethnic policy is key. The Jin Dynasty failed at integration. If East Africa doesn't encourage intermarriage, cultural adaptation, and linguistic unification, it might face a similar fate."
"The main issue for East Africa is the Black population. If their numbers grow too large, it could lead to the same disaster."
"You're worrying over nothing. First Town used to have many Black residents. How many do you see now? Clearly, the numbers are declining."
"Isn't that too cruel?"
"Ha! 'Those not of our race are surely of different hearts.' Jin was very kind to outsiders, and they turned their blades against Jin citizens in the end."
"In my opinion, we should physically reduce the Black population—take a lesson from the Anglo-Saxons."
"Ahem, regarding the fall of Rome, weren't the Germanic tribes partly responsible? And we, the Germans, are their descendants."
"Civilization is about creation and destruction. If East Africa wants to avoid ruin, it must vigilantly manage the issue of foreign populations."
East African students spoke about ethnic issues without awkwardness, thanks to national propaganda and policy. They got along well—many were born and raised together. Interracial families were common, with one parent often white and the other Asian, making mixed-race children prevalent.
Pure Germans and Chinese had become minorities—at least among the new generation. In this era, charming your way into marriage was a rare skill. Most East African men were simple rural types, not smooth talkers. Without government assistance, many would remain lifelong bachelors. Thus, most marriages were arranged by the state.
These arranged marriages didn't allow much choice. To accelerate ethnic integration, East Africa saw no better alternative. It wasn't even controversial in this era. The 19th century was a time of cultural conservatism and openness. East Africa's society leaned more conservative than most.
"Alright, that's the end of today's history class. This week's homework is to write a reflection essay on what we learned today—no fewer than 500 words, no upper limit. You'll present it next Monday."
The class erupted in groans. If Ernst had heard that, he would have scoffed at these kids who had never known the horrors of repetitive test drills. If East Africa had the money and cheaper paper, Ernst would've printed far more workbooks.
That said, the material in the textbooks was already more than enough for East African students. Exams and drills were only tools to reinforce understanding and adaptability.
This came down to raw talent. Smart students naturally found solutions. The average ones learned through experience. Only the slowest needed endless practice.
In fact, East Africa's relatively relaxed teaching style better identified talented, hardworking, or curious students.
The purpose of East African compulsory education was selection—not improvement. Merely providing universal secondary education already put East Africa ahead of the rest of the world. That alone would prepare it for future global talent competition, though the benefits would take years to show.
Improvement was a thankless task. Take the Far East in the previous life—it had the world's top-tier education system. Despite many students studying abroad and not returning, they were still a drop in the bucket compared to the nation's total student population.
Job opportunities that matched academic credentials were limited. Meanwhile, the education system kept churning out excess university graduates. The domestic job market couldn't absorb them.
Why did overseas students seem more successful? It was an illusion. Foreign companies weren't stupid—they only picked the best. And the students who could afford to study abroad were already exceptional. Combined with the West's century-long head start, catching up was hard.
Take precision machinery: it's about ever-increasing accuracy. It's a feedback loop—the more advanced you are, the more advantage you gain. Europe had a massive lead, having launched the Industrial Revolution. Even the U.S., USSR, and Japan struggled to match Europe.
The high-end machine tool industry was dominated by Europe—Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Spain... Latecomers like the Far Eastern Empire could only catch up by blazing new paths. Otherwise, they'd always follow behind.
This is why selecting top talent was most compatible with East Africa's reality. In higher education and high-tech, East Africa lacked resources—desperately so. Without that foundation, its education system could only advance one capable student at a time.
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