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In "Dead Men's Path" by Chinua Achebe, what do the Obis hope to accomplish when they take charge of the school?

In the story, Michael Obi has been appointed the principal of Ndume Central School. With his wife, Nancy, Michael hopes to modernize academic instruction at the school. As the headmaster, he is resolved that the teachers must be held to a high standard and that all old-fashioned and traditional ideas about education must be discarded. To the Obis, the only thing holding back progress is the presence of "old and superannuated people in the teaching field who would be better employed as traders in the Onitsha market."


The husband and wife team also plan to modernize the school grounds by planting beautiful gardens. With this two-pronged approach, the Obis hope to bring progress to what they consider a primitive school system. Unfortunately for the Obis, neither bargained for the communal pride of the older villagers. Because of their disrespect for religious traditions in the school district, both the Obis failed in their quest to affect change at Ndume Central School.

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