African Indigenous Educational System through the Lenses of John Deweh

Abstract: The call to indigenize African educational systems is present on the tables of almost all fields of academic pursued in African literature. It aims at aligning curricula with African traditions and values; a process some scholars have termed “Africanization” or a “return” to ancestral knowledge. What this means is that, education should be brought in broad view in terms of engaging local, community and off-school knowledges rooted in the African indigeneity in both formal and informal sites as part of the process of a re-reading the ‘school curriculum.’ The goal is to take the learner to the entirety of African epistemology, in terms history, culture, tradition, past, and identity, contested, concrete and meaningful to how we come to decolonize the school curriculum in other to create social/community and academic excellence. The call is to have authentic African educational system for the African learner, a system which remains true to the African learner, rooted as indicated already to the African history, past, culture, tradition with African identity. The place of educationists especially curriculum designers and higher education/universities is primordial in achieving this objective There isn’t any further gainsay that in rethinking the African educational system especially in the context of university studies and specifically, indigenizing the curriculum, the question of how contemporary learners can be assisted in using African local and indigenous knowledges to solve everyday problems is important. It is easier and there are merits learning from and working with knowledge one is familiar with. Therefore, bringing on board an African-centered interpretation of knowledge particularly in the universities to achieve excellence will be most useful for local community development (that is, in solving pressing social issues) using African knowledge and values. As the strive towards indigenizing the African educational systems is gaining more and more momentum, it must be acknowledged that there is much skepticism as to the extent and trend at which African cultural norms, identities and local languages can be developed towards cultural and curriculum homogenization to meet with international standards (Brock-Tune, 2003; Barasa, 2009, Knight, 2008; Jowi, 2009; Teferra Dei 2011a). Talking about indigenizing the African educational Systems, the question of how learners can be assisted in using African local or indigenous knowledges to solve everyday problems is inescapable. The thoughts of John Deweh on community education can be useful. Deweh’s conceptualization of education on community and social interaction, collaboration and democratic participation touches on the very nature of the African as an incurable social being (Mbiti, J, 2004). His focus was on creating an environment that favors collective learning, democratic values, and real-world learning are seen. This can only be done in a culture and language the learner is most familiar with. This concept is simply an idea or thought of Dewey on how a community can grow by means of education. Education as communication or transmission of values (Dewey, 1916) can according to Deweh be effectively done in and as a community which itself is a group of individuals sharing “common” interests, values and goals and who work together to achieve these goals (Dewey, 1916). The African concept of community is often rooted in its cultural values. If education is to effectively take place in a community, it cannot but be indigenized.