How does the setting in "Dead Men's Path" create conflict between Obi and the villagers?

The setting in "Dead Men's Path" creates tension between Michael Obi, who has just been appointed headmaster of the Ndume School, and the villagers because of the path that runs through the schoolyard. The villagers rarely use the path, but "it connects the village shrine with their place of burial." Furthermore, one villager states, "Our dead relatives depart by it and our ancestors visit us by it. But most important, it is the path of children coming in to be born..." Michael Obi believes that a school, where students are taught to use reason and logic, is no place for such beliefs. He responds, "Our duty is to teach your children to laugh at such ideas." 

Michael Obi, who is new to the village, is young and energetic and has many modern and "wonderful ideas." He views the school as unprogressive and hopes to modernize it. He has a negative attitude about the school, the villagers, and their customs. When he sees an old villager walking through the school along the path, he is dismayed and insists on blocking the path with sticks and barbed wire despite the fact that he hears of how important the pathway is to the villagers. His refusal to remove the barrier leads to the villagers' trampling of the schoolyard, which reflects poorly on Michael Obi, who the Supervisor believes acted with "misguided zeal."