Using Indigenous Knowledge to Develop Rwanda’s Language Curriculum

Abstract

The major point propped by this article is that in most African countries the type of literacy given in schools (schooled literacy) is not always relevant to national development needs and aspirations. ‘Schooled literacy’ produces university graduates who join the job market with several deficiencies. They are not adequately empowered by the training they receive to become creative, self-reliant and assertive when they join the labour market. This article argues that by providing linkages between “traditional” and “dynamic” models of literacy, namely integrating indigenous knowledge (IK) systems within the school curriculum, Rwanda can successfully achieve both her short-term and long-term development goals. Thus, the country can produce a knowledgeable and skilled manpower that can use innovation and creativity to develop the country. The article draws on Taylor’s family literacy theory and the concept of ‘creative literacy’ embedded in the IK model to make some recommendations to address Rwandan’s language curriculum problems.

Keywords: literacy theories, curriculum, indigenous education, oral tradition, language education, critical thinking