Reclaiming and Mainstreaming African Indigenous Practices in Early Childhood Education: Lessons from the ICLAP Model in Uganda

• In Event: Roundtable Group 9
  In Refereed Roundtable Session: Parent-teacher engagment in rural contexts

Proposal

Introduction: The usual narrative has been that children must only learn from adult teachers in a formal way. They must also be instructed using proven best pedagogies and practices often forced on to us from the west. And that the measure of good performance is how well one can speak in English, a foreign language and memorize foreign facts that cannot be applied in the local settings. This narrative does not only dehumanize Africans, but also removes from them the essence of their being African with unique culture and beliefs about child rearing and learning. The child-to-child approach repackaged to be implemented by children in marginalized early learning centers with support from their peers in nearby primary schools over the weekend promises to be a move that attempts to decolonize the dependence mentality that had been perpetuated in communities that they should expect education from elsewhere. This project aims at generating knowledge on how to scale the child-to-child (Literacy and Adult Basic Education {LABE}) model to improve the transition of children from pre-primary to early grades of primary school in Uganda, Ethiopia, and Malawi.
Method: This is an exploratory study that employs a phenomenological design to learn how children and communities around the established centers are doing to support learning using this novel approach. Data was collected from 16 child to child centers found in four districts in Uganda. A total of 80 child to child young facilitators, 16 teachers and 32 parents were interviewed after being purposively selected. Data was analyzed thematically.
Results: The findings reveal that children who have been supported to take on the facilitator role are decolonizing pedagogy that had been mystified by rigid teachers. Their approach is breaking down barriers to learning that had been created by formal teachers who made learning a stressful activity. Through an inclusive approach, children learn and retain knowledge and skills through play way approach that prepare them for smooth transition to primary school.
Recommendations: It is recommended that the outcomes of the project such as publications on how child-to-child approach is being scaled up in the three countries to promote transition, the child-to-child activity pack, caregiver’s manual, support supervision manuals, and parenting guides be adoption by the Ministry of education and sports.

Keywords: Child to Child pedagogy; protesting formalization of learning; decolonizing pedagogy

Author

• Audo Jesca Harriet, Kyambogo University, Kampala, Uganda