Incorporating Indigenous Knowledge in the Higher Education Sector for the Advancement of African Scholarship

2019 ◽  
pp. 212-231
Author(s):  
Ndwakhulu Stephen Tshishonga
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Indigenous Knowledge ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
South African ◽  
Integrated Approach ◽  
Knowledge Systems ◽  
Academic Socialization ◽  
The Core ◽  
Knowledge Based ◽  
South African Universities

This chapter argues that IKS could be used as a framework upon which African scholarship could be claimed and advanced without overlooking the importance and relevance of other knowledge systems. This framework can break superior-inferior, developed-underdeveloped binaries while keeping in mind the core mandate of education, especially in producing skills and a competent and knowledge-based society capable of dealing with both local and international challenges. The academic socialization on IKS would rather require an integrated approach to research which is also interdisciplinary in nature and aimed at interfacing other knowledge systems. This chapter is based on IKS case studies drawn from South African universities. Data obtained from interviews with experts and practitioners in the IKS sector will be engaged to enrich the debates in this chapter.

scholarly journals Decolonisation of higher education: Dismantling epistemic violence and Eurocentrism in South Africa

2016 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Savo Heleta
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
Southern Africa ◽  
Knowledge Systems ◽  
Epistemic Violence ◽  
South African Universities ◽  
Teaching Learning ◽  
The University

Since the end of the oppressive and racist apartheid system in 1994, epistemologies and knowledge systems at most South African universities have not considerably changed; they remain rooted in colonial, apartheid and Western worldviews and epistemological traditions. The curriculum remains largely Eurocentric and continues to reinforce white and Western dominance and privilege. This article traces the roots of Eurocentrism and epistemic violence at universities. The author argues that South Africa must tackle and dismantle the epistemic violence and hegemony of Eurocentrism, completely rethink, reframe and reconstruct the curriculum and place South Africa, Southern Africa and Africa at the centre of teaching, learning and research. However, this will not be easy as opposition to change is entrenched in the university structures. The movement to radically transform and decolonise higher education must find ways to hold institutions accountable and maintain the non-violent and intellectual struggle until epistemic violence and Eurocentrism are dismantled.

scholarly journals The core components of education 4.0 in higher education: Three case studies in engineering education

2021 ◽  
Vol 93 ◽  
pp. 107278
Author(s):  
Jhonattan Miranda ◽  
Christelle Navarrete ◽  
Julieta Noguez ◽  
José-Martin Molina-Espinosa ◽  
María-Soledad Ramírez-Montoya ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Engineering Education ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
The Core ◽  
Core Components

scholarly journals Wheelchair users, access and exclusion in South African higher education

2017 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Desire Chiwandire ◽  
Louise Vincent
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Students With Disabilities ◽  
South African ◽  
Ad Hoc ◽  
Persons With Disabilities ◽  
Wheelchair Users ◽  
Staff Members ◽  
Leading Role ◽  
South African Universities ◽  
The Right

Background: South Africa’s Constitution guarantees everyone, including persons with disabilities, the right to education. A variety of laws are in place obliging higher education institutions to provide appropriate physical access to education sites for all. In practice, however, many buildings remain inaccessible to people with physical disabilities.Objectives: To describe what measures South African universities are taking to make their built environments more accessible to students with diverse types of disabilities, and to assess the adequacy of such measures.Method: We conducted semi-structured in-depth face-to-face interviews with disability unit staff members (DUSMs) based at 10 different public universities in South Africa.Results: Challenges with promoting higher education accessibility for wheelchair users include the preservation and heritage justification for failing to modify older buildings, ad hoc approaches to creating accessible environments and failure to address access to toilets, libraries and transport facilities for wheelchair users.Conclusion: South African universities are still not places where all students are equally able to integrate socially. DUSMs know what ought to be done to make campuses more accessible and welcoming to students with disabilities and should be empowered to play a leading role in sensitising non-disabled members of universities, to create greater awareness of, and appreciation for, the multiple ways in which wheelchair user students continue to be excluded from full participation in university life. South African universities need to adopt a systemic approach to inclusion, which fosters an understanding of inclusion as a fundamental right rather than as a luxury.

scholarly journals Indigenous knowledge in the life sciences classroom: Science, pseudo-science or a missing link?

2012 ◽  
Vol 31 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Josef J. De Beer ◽  
Ben-Erik Van Wyk
Keyword(s):  
Indigenous Knowledge ◽  
South African ◽  
Life Sciences ◽  
Qualitative Inquiry ◽  
Knowledge Systems ◽  
Pedagogical Content ◽  
Indigenous Knowledge Systems ◽  
The Status ◽  
Classroom Science ◽  
Scientific Fields

Although the life sciences curriculum asks for the inclusion of indigenous knowledge systems in the classroom, it is either done very superficially by only providing an example or two, or ignored completely. This mixed-methods study (with emphasis on the qualitative inquiry) on the status of indigenous knowledge in the life sciences classroom in Gauteng and Limpopo, once again echoed what Rogan and Grayston (2003) reported: the South African curriculum process focuses too much on the what (the curriculum itself) at the expense of the how (the implementation of the curriculum). Although the progressive curriculum makes it clear that indigenous knowledge should be addressed, it provides very little guidance to teachers on how this should be done. Two problems are highlighted in this article: teachers’ lack of pedagogical content knowledge in addressing indigenous knowledge systems, as well as their poor understanding of the nature of science. A teacher’s social responsibility also entails making learners aware of the cultural and practical value of indigenous knowledge, and stimulating learners’ interest in scientific fields such as ethnobotany and chemotaxonomy.

Indigenous Knowledge Management Practices in Indigenous Organizations in South Africa and Tanzania

2017 ◽  
pp. 181-201 ◽  
Author(s):  
Edda Tandi Lwoga ◽  
Patrick Ngulube ◽  
Christine Stilwell
Keyword(s):  
Knowledge Management ◽  
Indigenous Knowledge ◽  
South African ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Knowledge Systems ◽  
Institutional Structures ◽  
Critical Issues ◽  
Indigenous Organizations ◽  
Knowledge Management Practices ◽  
Traditional Communities

Traditional communities have a highly developed knowledge system. They struggle, however, to lobby for critical issues as this knowledge is not documented. The chapter addresses this problem by seeking a suitable knowledge creation model for South African and Tanzanian indigenous organizations. It draws on fieldwork and reviews the literature and organizational websites. It applies Myer's seven C's model (2014) to determine how knowledge management may assist organizations in addressing challenges effectively. The findings demonstrate that Myers's model (2014) has been successful in part in explaining the knowledge management practices of indigenous organizations in these two countries. It is also difficult for indigenous organizations to motivate people to share knowledge because indigenous knowledge is individualized and used as a source of power, status and income in the communities. It is therefore important to promote integration of indigenous knowledge with other knowledge systems for socio-economic growth, and advocating change in institutional structures.

Breaking white silences in South African-Dutch collaboration in higher education

2017 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 26-45 ◽  
Author(s):  
Frans Kamsteeg ◽  
Harry Wels
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
South African ◽  
Academic Writing ◽  
Coming Out ◽  
Academic Research ◽  
Content Type ◽  
South African Society ◽  
African Higher Education ◽  
South African Universities ◽  
South African Higher Education

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to show the complex positionality and the complexity that comes with the study of whiteness in South African higher education by Dutch, white academics. This complexity stems from the long-standing relationship between Dutch universities, the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (VUA) in particular, with their South African counterparts, which predominantly supported apartheid with reference to a shared religious (Protestant) background. Design/methodology/approach The paper rests upon a literature review of the development of South African higher education, and an assessment of the prominent role played by the Dutch Vrije Universiteit in support of the all-white, Afrikaans Potchefstroom University (presently North-West University). The authors, who are both involved in the institutional cooperation between Vrije Universiteit and South African universities, reflect on the complexity of this relationship by providing auto-ethnographic evidence from their own (religious) biography. Findings The paper reflects the ambiguous historical as well as contemporary contexts and ties that bind Vrije Universiteit to South African universities, especially formerly Afrikaans-speaking ones. The ambiguity is about the comfort of sharing an identity with formerly Afrikaans-speaking universities, on the one hand, and the discomfort of historical and political complicities in a (still) segregated South African society on the other hand. Originality/value This auto-ethnographic paper breathes an atmosphere of a “coming out” that is not very common in academic writing. It is a reflection and testimony of a lifelong immersion in VUA-South African academic research relations in which historical, institutional, and personal contexts intermingle and lead to a unique positionality leading to “breaking silences” around these complex relations.

scholarly journals South African universities in a time of increasing disruption

2021 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Johan Coetzee ◽  
Brownhilder Neneh ◽  
Karlien Stemmet ◽  
Jana Lamprecht ◽  
Constance Motsitsi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
South African ◽  
Curriculum Design ◽  
Online Teaching ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Industrial Revolution ◽  
African Students ◽  
Study Approach ◽  
South African Universities ◽  
The Impact

Background: The Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) and the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) have disrupted the higher education environment in unprecedented ways.Aim: This article identifies the impact of increasing disruption driven by the 4IR and COVID-19 on the content and curriculum design of degree programmes in economic and management sciences offered by South African universities.Setting: Six South African and five top-tier US and UK universities.Methods: The study used a non-positivist qualitative research design and specifically the case-study approach. A document analysis of the information in university yearbooks and prospectuses was conducted, using a purposive sampling design.Results: An online presence will become more important due to increased disruption, and will not only ensure an additional revenue stream, but also promote continuity in operations and mitigate threats from competitors. COVID-19 has accelerated the extent of this disruption and expedited the migration to online teaching and learning platforms.Conclusion: Since science, technology, engineering and mathematics are integral to the majority of 4IR-related modules, South African universities must not shy away from degree programmes that ignore inter- and multi-disciplinary curriculum designs. Coupled with the challenges facing the majority of South African students to access electronic devices, data and the internet, COVID-19 has thrust this challenge to the forefront in the South African higher education landscape. By comparing the developments in South African universities with those in trendsetting, top-tier, global universities, management can assess the extent to which they are internationally competitive and adapting to the demands of the 4IR.

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