At the foundation of all educational systems lay a philosophy that reflects the material conditions of a particular race, class, gender, generation, culture, ethnicity, and psychology.  The philosophical tenets of an African-centered philosophy include:

1. The material world exists independent of, yet interconnected to human consciousness, which is a reflection of it.  The present world in which we live is over 21 billion years in the making—from the earliest moments of the universe, through its expansion, reproduction, and the formation of stars, stars, planets, planets, solar systems, galaxies, etc.  For billions of years matter existed in various forms at various stages of development prior to the mere hint of human life.  And it is only within the past 10,000 years that human populations have begun to systematically observe and consciously reflect upon this reality.
2. Matter is primary and consciousness, thought, and spirit are a reflection of matter.  Material reality provides the context within which consciousness, thought, and intelligence develop; the former produces the latter by providing the material (in the form of objects and conditions, for example) necessary for sensory receptors to detect and pass information through a neurological system for processing, interpretation, thought, and action. 
3. All phenomena (material and non-material) move through a life cycle, which includes birth, growth, decay, death, and rebirth.  All that exists in the universe has a period of birth, a period of growth and development, a period where it gains strength, attains maturity, then grows old, runs its course, reaches its limits, declines, decays, dies out, and is reborn in another form of energy.  This motion is constant and never ending, with one-dimensional time, and three-dimensional space constraints.  Universes, galaxies, solar systems, stars and planets all had to live and die so that the earth on which we live might come into being and make itself suitable for life.  
4. It is possible to gain an understanding of the world through scientific inquiry, practice, and the application of technology.  With the proper methodology, tools, and determination, human populations have under certain conditions (e.g., where mysticism and religiosity did not dominate) systematically and scientifically studied their environments to address population needs and interests.