EFA) and the African Indigenous Knowledge Systems (Aiks

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EFA) and the African Indigenous Knowledge Systems (Aiks EDUCATION FOR ALL (EFA) AND THE ‘AFRICAN INDIGENOUS KNOWLEDGE SYSTEMS (AIKS)’: THE CASE OF THE CHEWA PEOPLE OF ZAMBIA DENNIS BANDA, BA ED, M PHIL Thesis submitted to the University of Nottingham in fulfilment for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy April, 2008 DECLARATION I declare that this thesis is the product of my own effort and has not been presented to any University in the same or different form to merit a PhD degree other than that for which I am now a candidate. Signed………………………… DENNIS BANDA April, 2008. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I owe a deep and sincere debt of gratitude to my supervisor, Professor W. J Morgan for his continuous and constructive corrections. His valuable suggestions and generous guidance enriched this study throughout every stage of it. I would also like to pay my heartfelt appreciation to Professor Alan Rogers who stood in for Professor W. J Morgan when he was on sabbatical leave. Furthermore, I would like to express my appreciation to the people and the International Office at University of Nottingham for the offer of the competitive full tuition award for my PhD studies. I am also thankful to the University of Nottingham for providing me with necessary academic training for this study. It was through the support from the University and my Institute for Research Studies that I was able to attend the International conference in Bergen, Norway in 2005 and the UKFIET Conference in Oxford, in 2007 and many more within the University of Nottingham. To Prof and Mama Thomas, I say, “Mwabombenipo shikulu for making your home my second Zambia Lesa apale. In Zambia I would like to thank the principal of Chipata College of Education and the Ministry of Education for the support they gave me during my data collection. I would also like to thank the paramount chief Kalonga Gawa Undi of the Chewa people and three of his subordinate chiefs for allowing me to interview them in person. Your support and appreciation for the topic I had chosen gave me encouragement to go on with my work despite the numerous obstacles I encountered. My program could have remained a dream had it not been for James Mwenya Musanshi and family who looked after me for two months in Leicester. To my classmates in the PhD program, I say thank you for the co-operation and friendship that we showed to one another through out our stay in Nottingham. To my wife Taonamo (Sr) and children, Nafitali, Vizyango, Pilila, and Taonamo (Jr), I say thank you for cherishing my distant love. Special thanks to my elder sister Yesana, who stood by our children when both my wife and I were away. This is the reward of your sweat and a dedication to my mother who passed away when I was writing my chapter six. Tracks of tears for you mama are all over this thesis and will never dry. Dennis Banda i TABLE OF CONTENTS Acknowledgements.............................................................................................................. i Table of Contents ............................................................................................................... ii List of figures ................................................................................................................... vii List of Tables ..................................................................................................................... ix List of Pictures ................................................................................................................... x Abstract.............................................................................................................................. xi List of Abbreviations and acronyms................................................................................ xii Glossary of Chewa words................................................................................................xiii CHAPTER ONE ................................................................................................................ 1 CONTEXT AND PURPOSE ............................................................................................. 1 Introduction............................................................................................................................... 1 General background to the country of study: Zambia .......................................................... 1 Why the topic?........................................................................................................................... 8 Research problem.................................................................................................................... 14 Background to the study......................................................................................................... 14 Main research question........................................................................................................... 19 Subsidiary questions ............................................................................................................... 19 Structure of the thesis ............................................................................................................. 20 CHAPTER TWO.............................................................................................................. 23 EDUCATION FOR ALL IN THE CONTEXT OF ZAMBIAN EDUCATION AND CULTURE........................................................................................................................ 23 Introduction............................................................................................................................. 23 Different Forms of Education ................................................................................................ 24 Sample definitions of education ............................................................................................. 24 Informal Education................................................................................................................. 28 Non-formal education ............................................................................................................. 29 Formalized education.............................................................................................................. 30 Before Colonialism (1883 -1924) ............................................................................................ 34 During Colonialism (1924- 1963) ........................................................................................... 36 After Colonialism: (1964- 2000s) ........................................................................................... 39 World view............................................................................................................................... 41 African view............................................................................................................................. 42 The Zambian view................................................................................................................... 43 ii Community Schools in Zambia.............................................................................................. 47 Critique of EFA and the formal schooling system ............................................................... 48 Attempts to hybridize the formal school curriculum with AIKS ....................................... 57 Education For Development (EFD) .....................................................................................................57 Education for Self-Reliance (ESR) ......................................................................................................58 Conclusion................................................................................................................................ 61 CHAPTER THREE ......................................................................................................... 63 INDIGENOUS AND LOCAL KNOWLEDGE SYSTEMS (IKS&LK) AND FRAMEWORKS AND THEORIES FOR ANALYSIS .................................................. 63 Introduction............................................................................................................................. 63 Indigenous Knowledge (IK) and Indigenous Knowledge Systems (IKS)........................... 64 African Indigenous Education Systems (AIKS) ................................................................... 67 Local Knowledge (LK) versus Indigenous Knowledge (IK)................................................ 70 Critique of IKS........................................................................................................................ 71 Writings and specific research studies on IKS ..................................................................... 72 A Comparative study of Primary Schooling in Zambia and Elementary Schooling in New York, USA (1976)............................................................................................................ 72 A case study among the Chewa people of Eastern Zambia (1993) ..................................... 74 The introduction of a ‘localized’ primary school curriculum (Pilot project in selected primary schools and a Teacher Training College in Zambia) ............................................ 77 Other Research on IKS and AIKS......................................................................................... 79 The Research Gap Addressed................................................................................................ 80 IKS
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