Beneficiaries are actors too.pdf - Southern Institute of Peace ...

there have been reports of successes in developing curricular
materials and reconstructing the science curriculum in local
schools, little is reported in the research literature that would
inform the science education community of whether and how
such a curricular orientation: impacts students, teachers, and
community members; contributes to the adult population's
literacy in science; or enables action-taking on critical issues of
importance to our respective societies. This is true, in part,
because science educators have not regarded education as a
primary means of investing in human resources and promoting
development. That is, education has been disassociated from the
contextual realities of life and living. Education must be
transformed from the passive, technical, and apolitical
orientation that is reflective of most students' school-based
experiences to an active, critical, and politicized life-long
endeavour that transcends the boundaries of classrooms and
schools.
The language of science education and sustainable development
It is sad to note that the language of science education is foreign
and distanced from the learner in an African community. When
learners are taught in their language they grasp the concepts of
Science education better than when being taught in a foreign
language. If our Science curriculum incorporates the use of
indigenous languages as the medium of instruction then it would
go a long way in promoting education for sustainable
development. There are some countries that have done very well
by using their indigenous languages. For example, English is not
taught in China and 95% of the people do not speak it or write it,
and yet the Chinese are visibly prosperous (Gudhlanga 2005).
The economic miracle of Japan was not based on widespread
dissemination of English. It was a result of indigenisation of such
technology, and the translation of the processes into terms that
an ordinary Japanese factory worker could understand
(Gudhlanga 2005). Also, some European countries for example
Germany, France, Italy and Denmark, use their own languages
for education and other purposes, but they are highly successful.
In these countries, English is only taught as a subject. Also
Afrikaans was used in apartheid South Africa for more than 40
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