Incorporating African Indigenous Knowledge Systems into the Basic Education curriculum: Experiences from two schools in the Gauteng and kwazulu-Natal Provinces, South Africa
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Date
2021-11
Authors
Cindi, Lungile
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Publisher
University of the Free State
Abstract
South Africa is a proudly and richly diverse country with several indigenous groups across its nine provinces. Indigenous people have a vast array of knowledge by which they have lived and sustained their livelihoods for ages. The impacts of colonisation and globalisation have meant that over time, this knowledge has been lost and not imparted to younger generations. This challenge has intensified efforts towards preserving African Indigenous Knowledge Systems (AIKS). After 1994, one of the important goals that need to be achieved is social justice and this can be attained through inclusive education. Education needs to foster the diversity of our country and continent from the foundation face by placing value on AIKS. One of the ways in which this can be done is through its inclusion in the curriculum. There has been an increasing focus on Indigenous Knowledge Systems (IKS) and its value globally, with organisations such as the World Bank and the United Nations recognising the importance of this knowledge in achieving sustainable development for indigenous communities. The current educational system in South Africa and many other African countries is still westernised and there have been many calls to decolonise the local curriculum. At the same time, there have been efforts to align the curriculum with constitutional principles and values through the National Curriculum Statement (NCS) Grades R-12 and the Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statements (CAPS). These principles and values include human rights, inclusivity, environmental focus, social justice and valuing of indigenous knowledge systems. Through CAPS, educators are encouraged to make innovative use of various knowledge systems including indigenous knowledge to achieve inclusive education. There is, however, little mention of how educators should make use of IKS when teaching the different subjects that are in the curriculum. The focus of this study was, therefore, to find out how AIKS can be incorporated into the basic education curriculum in South African schools. The study also aimed to find out whether AIKS implementation at the classroom level is being realised. This was done by studying the educators’ experiences with the incorporation of AIKS into the current curriculum. To achieve the research’s objectives, a qualitative study was conducted using the case study design, informed by the systems and symbolic interactionism theories. Two schools were selected, one from Gauteng and the other from KwaZulu-Natal. Both primary and secondary data sources were useful in reaching the findings. Focus groups were held with the educators from the schools. The semi-structured interview approach with a representative from the DBE broadened the scope of the study. Results were organised thematically in accordance with the research questions and objectives. The findings revealed that although there is the requirement to include IKS in the curriculum, there is no clear indication of how this should to be done. Educators require more support from the Department of Basic Education (DBE) in terms of direction on how to implement AIKS into their lessons. Educators also require training and material support. It was also evident that educators have an idea through their lived experiences of what AIKS is and were able to provide examples. Some have attempted minimally to use AIKS in their lessons. Mostly, the educators agreed that there is value in incorporating indigenous knowledge into the curriculum. There are however challenges that are experienced by educators in trying to include AIKS in their lessons, such as time constraints during lessons, lack of clear support and limited content and materials to achieve this goal. The themes that emerged during the study were AIKS and the rural context, indigenous games, folklore/storytelling, traditional medicines, restoration of pride and Ubuntu and sustainable livelihoods. Some of the recommendations that came out of the study were the development of AIKS content for teaching, the introduction of AIKS campaigns and drives in schools and communities, the inclusion of different role players in the AIKS development process and the development of monitoring and evaluation systems to track AIKS development progress. Further research can focus on learners’ perspectives of AIKS and the development of different models that could form the basis of AIKS implementation in the curriculum. Further research is also suggested on the use of AIKS to improve the livelihoods of learners and their households.
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Keywords
Dissertation (M.A. (Centre for Africa Studies))--University of the Free State, 2021, Indigenous Knowledge, Indigenous Knowledge Systems, African Indigenous Knowledge Systems, Curriculum