Philosophy

Education Did Not Exist At All In Northern Rhodesia Before The White Settlement

Whether formal or informal, education is existed in Northern Rhodesia (Zambia) before the arrival of the missionaries. This type of education is referred to as indigenous education. The word indigenous originates from a late Latin word ‘indegenus’ which means native or born in a country while education comes from a Latin word ‘educare’ which means bringing up. Indigenous education is therefore the bringing up of people of a particular society according to their way of life. This academic writing will argue against the motion that education did not exist at all in Northern Rhodesia before the white settlement by outlining the aims, components, curriculum, modes, characteristics, merits and demerits of Indigenous African education. Also in this reference are some benefits of indigenous education and finally a conclusion will be given

Education existed in as long as human beings started living in their societies in Africa, Blakemore (1990). One could see that education was there. For example, boys were taught how to hunt while girls were taught how to make baskets.

Sifuna and Otiende (2006), state, “Indigenous education was essentially an education for living whose main goal was to train the youth for adulthood within society.” This means young boys and girls were groomed to be better citizens when they grew up.
Although indigenous education systems varied from one society to another, the goals of these systems were often similar. Goals of indigenous education include “developing the child's latent physical skills,” Fafunwa (1974). The word latent in this context means not presently active thus this type of education meant developing skills hidden in the youths such as making baskets, hunting or fishing. For example, boys were taken to the bush to hunt and do other manly duties while their aunties and grandmothers taught girls how to fish, make baskets and other feminine duties such as taking care of a home.
Indigenous education also aimed at “developing character,” Omolewa, (2007:4). Character is the qualities or features that make a person and it was the mandate of the society to produce people with good character by imparting in them good morals and values. 

Another aim of indigenous education was to “develop intellectual skills in the youths,” Mugo et al (2015:6). This means that youths were taught and encouraged to use their initiative whenever necessary. For example, they were told to use their thinking ability to find ways on how to hunt and catch animals. They were made to make traps such as digging a hole at a certain spot and chasing the animal towards that spot, when the animal fell in the trap it would then be easy to kill the animal for either consumption or making clothes and drums for communication.
Apart from these goals “indigenous education also aimed at making youths understand, appreciate and promote the cultural heritage of that particular community,” Mugo et al (2015:6). Culture is a way of life thus boys and girls were taught and encouraged to understand their way of life, cherish and preserve their cultures as well as promote it. For example, part of other cultures includes paying bride price before marrying while girls were taught to dance as part of their culture, how to cook, and the dress code, respecting elderly people, others and most importantly respect for oneself is as part of their culture.
According to Fafunwa (2007), “indigenous education also had a goal of making sure youths acquired specific vocational training.”  These included full time occupations such as farming or other life skills such as carpentry, bricklaying.

“The education in Africa before the coming of the European was an education that prepared one for the responsibilities as an adult in the home, the village and within the tribe. The education varied from the simple instruction given by the father or mother to the youths to complex educational system of highly organized and sophisticated,” Carmody, B (2004). Components included history of ethnic group. The education looked at what happened and why things happened the way they did. For example, where did we come from, when, why did we settle here? The questions asked, made the society develop a sense of security consciousness, religious beliefs and sense of belonging.
The other component was “social duty and teaching of good manners. Youths learnt the correct way of greeting different ages, how to sit, how to address other members of the tribe and elders among them,” Mwanakatwe, J. (1968). They were to respect the old and to extend hospitality to all.
Indigenous education, like modern education, had a curriculum. “The curriculum in this period was not an open one, and it was not written but organized in sequence to fit the expected milestones of different developmental stages that the culture recognizes,” Nsamenang, (2005). This means indigenous education had a hidden curriculum, a curriculum that was not open but put in order to meet the different growth stages according to that particular society. Part of the curriculum included games including wrestling and running, training for healthy living, cooking, dressing, hunting, and farming, carpentry, training to become a black smith, drumming, dancing, marriage counseling and critical thinking.
Education was taught in a certain way (modes) and was passed from one generation to another by learning through various modes, which include; language, music, dance, oral, tradition, proverbs, myths, stories, culture, religion and elders.
Language is an important element in the training of the child, and no one is considered trained without consistent use of language for effective communication. For example using the mother tongue, learners are usually introduced very early to the system of using symbols or signs and certain sounds to communicate.

According to Omolewa (2007:4) “learning through music and dance, these two are fundamental to the African ways of life. They are introduced to equip the learners with the ability to function effectively in other areas of learning such as language acquisition, speech therapy, literacy, numeracy, and other related themes.” This means music was played and demonstrations were made by both the educators and the youths to help in key areas of life.
Children also learnt through oral tradition using proverbs, myths and stories. Oral tradition continues to be a reservoir of unlimited wisdom where Africans learn about their origin, history, culture, religion, meaning and reality of life, morals, norms and survival techniques. One could see that people were taught through proverbs, stories and these included lessons on one’s origin, history, culture and religion. “The meaning of life was as well part of the things taught during this period. Proverbs orally transmitted information inherited from past generations to future generations shared in both structured and unstructured contexts,” Omolewa (2017). This means cultures and many other things taught in indigenous education originated from past generations to the new generations. For example, ‘ababilima tabaya’, a proverb in Bemba advising youths in reference to the past experiences of the parents or elders in the community.

The other mode of learning was through culture. According to Magagula and Mazibuko (2007),

 “Culture is a basis of identity which largely determines how people view reality.” This means that culture is a necessary part of humans or how they view reality.
“Culture functions as a tool used to see things, influencing how people view themselves and their environment” Magagula and Mazibuko (2007). Many Africans believe that no person is dead for as long as the person’s blood flows in the veins of the living. For example, African cultural ideas of immortality have influenced attitudes to family size and population growth, it is therefore important to make the most of one’s genetic legacy by having many children. This explains why many families in the pre and the colonial stage were mostly extended families as this was to continue the family legacy.

Indigenous education had characteristics that were visible. “Characteristics included multiple learning. The education system had no much room for specialization but equipped boys and girls with a number of occupations with related skills,” Carmody, B (2004). This meant that a boy learnt how to fish, geography of an area, interpretation of the seasons, building and farming among them. On the other hand, girls learnt taught gardening, cooking, laundry, and simple skills of nursing. The education centered on the whole life of the society.
Integration is another characteristic of indigenous education. The education depended on what was available without fixing of time for learning. Children learnt how to welcome visitors this was situational learning. During initiation ceremonies, teaching of sex roles was conduct.
The other characteristic was perennialism, which means occurring repeatedly. “There were skills, which were only taught during specific seasons such rain season, these included planting and ploughing,”

Communalism, this means shared by or a number of people, especially those living together. Most of the lessons were done in communal manner. Meaning Education was a responsibility for the whole community. For example, working in fields, construction of houses and child discipline.
Indigenous among other things had merits. In any case, traditional education is believed to have been meaningful, unifying, effective, practical, and relevant and community based. “There was no separation between education and the world of work, graduates were readily absorbed in society upon completion of their induction or socialization,” Kelly (2006).
According to Farrant, (1980) “African traditional education developed and educated the whole person.” This type of education involved the entire society or community. This means education was human centered; it promoted and developed very good and strong bonds among the people. This education had clear values, attitudes and morals for its curriculum.

In conclusion, there are some elements in indigenous education, which are relevant to an individual’s life in a community. This paper defined what indigenous or traditional education means, it also discussed the aims, components, curriculum, modes, characteristics, merits of Indigenous education.