(Latent) Potentials to Incorporate and Improve Environmental Knowledge Using African Languages in Agriculture Lessons in Malawi

Abstract

In their official language policy, nearly all Sub-Saharan African states use their indigenous language(s) as Language of Learning and Teaching (LoLT) only at the beginning of primary schools. This is also the case in Malawi. The curricula in the various school subjects are also highly dominated by ‘Western’ ideas and include very little Indigenous Knowledge (IK). Nevertheless, indigenous languages are frequently used during lessons. This research focused on answering the following questions: How is a meaningful Science Education for pupils in Malawi possible? Does the inclusion of IK and teaching through African Languages assist pupils in any way? Research was done in the Northern Region of Malawi. To obtain a better understanding, semi-structured interviews and ethnographic observations were conducted. The main focus of these interviews was on the subject of ‘Agriculture’. Aspects such as IK, environmental education, climate change, school gardens and others were covered. Teachers saw the importance and necessity of the subject ‘Agriculture’ especially in rural areas, as Agriculture remains the backbone of economic activity in Malawi. To include more practical tasks like the running of school gardens, IK next to ‘Western’ Science and (partly) use more of indigenous languages were some of the outcomes. Teachers emphasized aspects such as deforestation and the conservation of soil and water as the main environmental aspects of the teaching of Agriculture. Examples of IK are also provided from the Global South. This is done in order to support the argument made in this chapter regarding the potential use of IK within the teaching and knowledge production process.