The role of the political class in the debate on how to improve education in the Sahelian countries is examined in this monograph. Although cultural backwardness and faulty inquiry impede educational quality, the major problem is the absence of political forms through which all people can participate in educational reform. A review of the evolution of school systems during the colonial period indicates that members of the political class defined educational needs that did not meet the needs of the people and suppressed opposing demands. The current push by elites for basic education, an extension of the colonial period logic, is combined with the erroneous belief that literacy and attendance equals productivity. This impaired analysis is often paired with religious doctrine. The following longterm solutions based on adherence to democratic practice are offered: (1) cultivate community schools; (2) create opportunities for those outside the political class to express and share ideas; (3) demand equal representation at all educational meetings; (4) focus on changing the characteristics of secondary schools and national examinations for inducing change at the primary level; and (5) do not reinforce the capacities of governments to continue to respond to increased demand for schools in the same manner as in the past. A conclusion is that democracy is a technique for improving the quality of analysis and the social process by which society judges analysis. A world map, 3 figures, and 2 tables are included. (Contains 36 references.) (LMI)