Integrating indigenous African knowledge system (IAKSA) to Africanise career education in South African schools

Abstract

This qualitative embedded case study explored the integration of Indigenous African Knowledge Systems (IAKS), specifically Ubuntu and African proverbs, within South Africa’s educational framework, with the objective of Africanising career education in high schools. The study involved 30 Grade 9 learners (15 from a public high school and 15 from a private high school in Gauteng Province, South Africa), as well as two Life Orientation teachers from the respective schools. The study explored the persistent prevalence of a Western-centric curriculum, which has remained predominantly unchanged since the establishment of democracy in 1994, thereby marginalising cultural diversity in a country facing a youth unemployment rate of 58.5%. This oversight intensifies difficulties in identity formation during Erikson’s fifth developmental stage, which are further aggravated by the emergence of automation and the demands of the Fifth Industrial Revolution. The research employed a combination of interpretivist and Indigenous methodologies, unfolding in two phases: first, five-week workshops incorporating reflective talking circles based on Ubuntu principles and African proverbs to indigenise the concepts of career adaptability (concern, control, curiosity, and confidence); second, semi-structured interviews with teachers to evaluate the effectiveness of career education within the Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS). The findings highlighted the transformative potential of IAKS in enhancing career preparedness by incorporating cultural relevance, fostering independent learning, and strengthening adolescent identity amid technological disruption. Learners from public schools expressed significant socio-economic concerns, in contrast to their private-school peers, reflecting persistent disparities in access to resources. Teachers expressed dissatisfaction with inadequate professional development and institutional barriers. The study recommends a synergistic Afrocentric-Eurocentric curricular framework to empower learners, integrating Indigenous African Knowledge Systems (IAKS) into the Life Orientation syllabus (particularly the World of Work section), improving teacher training in Africanised pedagogies, and enacting legislative changes to promote an inclusive educational environment. The study advocates for longitudinal research to assess the long-term feasibility of fair career education in various educational settings, thereby promoting sustainable youth empowerment aligned with South Africa’s socio-historical needs.