Africanising Environmental Education through Indigenous Knowledge Systems: A Technology Education Teachers’ Case

Background/purpose. Each country uses the curriculum as a vehicle to support and guide both teaching and learning within its education system, as is the case in South Africa. Post-1994 in South Africa (SA), several efforts were undertaken to address past educational inequalities, leading to rapid curriculum reform, overhaul, review, and/or transformation. The study examined Technology Education (TE) teachers’ efforts to Africanise Environmental Education (EE) through Indigenous Knowledge Systems (IKS) underpinned by cultural absolutism theory. The literature revealed that less inquiry has been undertaken with TE teachers’ Africanising EE through IKS.

Materials/Methods. In this community engagement project, action research was used as a research design to emancipate TE teachers. The study involved interviewing eight purposively sampled TE teachers from six schools teaching in the Senior Phase (Grades 7, 8, and 9) who served as participants, co-researchers, or respondents in this study. Data was collected from eight TE Senior Phase teachers in three villages and coded using thematic analysis.

Results. The study found that the TE curriculum embraces IKS and EE; however, TE teachers struggle to facilitate their EE interaction and IKS integration when delivering lessons to their learners. Therefore, curriculum designers should develop active programs to assist TE teachers in improving their teaching strategies to meet the curriculum’s Africanisation needs.

Conclusion. The study focuses on Africanising the subject content of EE through IKS, using TE teachers as a case study. It is a common belief that every country should take pride in the investments it makes in its education system, which serves as an enabling environment for advancing the country. A nation that fosters an environment conducive to the efficient operation of its human capital will be able to grow its economy rapidly. It would not befit to unpack the concepts of Africanising the curriculum without mentioning the decolonisation of the education system.

Keywords: Africanisation, environmental education, indigenous knowledge systems, technology education

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