Crucial Role of Indigenous Knowledge in Formal Education Systems

Abstract

The chapter emphasises the important role of indigenous knowledge (IK) in formal education systems. If formal education does not take appropriate account of IK, learners will not be able to connect their learning experiences with their social and cultural environment. This impacts negatively on their ability to apply education for the construction of their life pathways. The chapter argues that in different countries, formal education has been shaped and dominated either by the majority population or by a ruling group and as a result is based on the respective groups' epistemologies and ontologies as well as their language. This has led to a separation of IK from the type of knowledge mediated through formal education. The consequences of this separation and the resulting argument for the significance of a strong integration of IK into the body of knowledge mediated through formal education as a prerequisite for relevance and usefulness of education is discussed on the level of the student and on the level of development.