ERIC Number: EJ1406001
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2022
Pages: 23
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1814-6627
EISSN: EISSN-1753-5921
Exploring the Value of the Indigenous Knowledge of Ubuntu in Early Childhood Education in South Africa
Africa Education Review, v19 n3 p78-100 2022
The dismissal and devaluing of indigenous knowledge during the successive eras of colonialism and apartheid in South Africa compelled the African majority to adopt the colonisers' values, attitudes, language, cultural practices, morality, and institutions. In education, the consequent neglect of sociocultural contexts inevitably influenced the cultural identities of children negatively and disrupted the intergenerational continuity of core values and traditions especially in the early years of development. Early childhood development is acknowledged as the most critical developmental phase when behaviour, attitudes, and values are learnt and retained. It presents an ideal opportunity to impart rich values and social mores, particularly in the current context of moral and ethical decline in democratic South Africa. Local/community resources and positive cultural values and practices can contribute to children's holistic development by building strong foundations for essential prosocial values that are embodied in ubuntu. With roots in African traditional society and philosophy, ubuntu espouses the ideal of interconnectedness and interdependence among people. This article reports on the views of a sample of urban, rural, and semi-rural early childhood development staff and community members on the inclusion of ubuntu values and principles in the early childhood development curriculum. The collective support for the inclusion of ubuntu in the preschool phase suggests the potential for developing socially responsible citizens for cohesive co-existence in democratic South Africa.
Descriptors: Foreign Countries, Indigenous Knowledge, Colonialism, Racial Segregation, Cultural Awareness, Early Childhood Education, Child Development, Cultural Influences, Early Childhood Teachers, Teacher Attitudes, Social Values, Social Responsibility
Routledge. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 530 Walnut Street Suite 850, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Tel: 215-625-8900; Fax: 215-207-0050; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Early Childhood Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: South Africa
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A