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The Importance Of Indigenous Knowledge In Education

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It could be more pedagogic if school children are brought to the world of knowledge through indigenous knowledge and then proceed to the modern. This enables them to eventually figure out the merits and demerits of both the indigenous and modern knowledge. This clearly shows the necessity of integrating indigenous knowledge into school curriculum ( Tena 14 December 2016).
And in relation to elements of indigenous knowledge to be incorporated he associates with the value of the society in his word; Knowledge of hard facts and natural order are more or less the same throughout the world. Much more difference lies in the knowledge of value systems of different cultures. Factual knowledge could be adapted to the specific conditions of indigenous …show more content…
For him all these teachings are important and different from the formal education. Kenea and Worku (12 October 2016) said children of the community learn mathematics, stories, proverbs (sayings) siting nearby fire from elders. “While they learn numbers they learn it in association like for example to know number two they associate with breast of got, four with that of cow and the like so the method of association in the indigenous teaching is important if we integrate it in the school curriculum”. Benet (12 October 2016) argue that “indigenous knowledge is a prior knowledge and hence students should always start from this knowledge”, he further explain “the Gaddaa system of Oromo people in Ethiopia is indigenous democratic system, and it is better for student to start learning from this indigenous knowledge system before studying the so called the modern democracy”. In other words there are democratic principles which were existed for long time in the culture of the community which gradually …show more content…
Lose of one’s language as a medium of instruction will not only apply concepts that are incapable of catching traditional wisdom leading to misinterpretation, but also discard those wisdoms as irrelevant just because they cannot understand it. Thus the integration is not only relevant but compulsory. However, in terms of elements or components to be incorporated. It is hard to pick elements for inclusion, because it is too much; but one can set a principle by which to screen indigenous knowledge for integration. This is primarily their relative worth in all possible aspects viz-a-viz other forms of knowledge. Integration shall by no means imply a blind endorsement of tradition. Theoretically, however, when all other variables are equal with an alien but competing knowledge system; curriculum integration should go for the local wisdom due to its psychological benefit (Anmut 10January

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