The Kagisano Indigenous Philosophy of Education in Botswana

Background

Every society and nation has a philosophy, regardless of its status as a first or third world country. Abdi (2011) stated, “no group, nation, or continent would be denied upon laying some claim on the philosophical viability of its systems, and how learning to live and succeed would be defined by formalized or informal clusters of philosophy of education” (p. 80). An educational philosophy is something quite personal and unique in that it is grounded in base values and beliefs of a given population.

Philosophy of education, as defined by Davis (1999), is a “an effort by philosophers to fit an educational design into constructed worldviews issues and problems. . . It gives direction to educational thought and practice” (p. 29-30). It is a perspective that deals with questions on reality, existence, knowledge, and ethics. Abiogu (2014) further states that education is the cornerstone for meaningful sustained growth and serves as the bedrock of any county’s development. The educational development of a country depends on the development of the individual citizenry. Buttressing the above, Mutekwe (2015) contends that African nations should develop a “whole and well-rounded person…who is productive and respectful of the laws, rules, customs and traditions of the society” (p.1294).

Across the globe, indigenous philosophies are regarded as the foundations and cornerstones of countries’ development processes in education, politics, social and environmental issues. Indigenous philosophies of education are viewed as significant guides that help native societies meet their needs and challenges within the education systems. Indigenous people have their own philosophies of education that guide and sustain their communities.