Conclusion
This article highlights the inadequacy of the current model of schooling delivered to Basarwa children in Botswana, and contends that their education should be reevaluated from a cultural viewpoint. Children and teachers are enmeshed in a dynamic, cultural, social and political web, and there are serious language and cultural barriers to learning. These barriers underscore the need for a bilingual, multicultural model of education to affirm and strengthen the culture of the child. The high mobility of the Basarwa demands a flexible, less formal model of schooling and training of teachers from within the Basarwa culture. An innovative curriculum is needed, building on traditional Basarwa pedagogy and world view to develop skills needed to gain greater equity. The approach to health education known as Child-to-Child has considerable potential for curriculum development. Until a more relevant educational model is available Basarwa children will continue to be disadvantaged.
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A lecturer in education and development at the University of London Institute of Education, where she is responsible for advanced diploma and masters courses in health education and promotion. She is a qualified school-teacher and nutritionist, with more than ten years' experience in higher education and in community development for health in West and East Africa. She is conducting research in health through schooling, and will complete her Ph.D. thesis on ‘Children as health educators’ in 1995. She has a special interest in participatory research methods and gender issues, and is married with four children.
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Pridmore, P. Learning and schooling of Basarwa (Bushmen) children in Botswana. Prospects 25, 707–722 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02334146
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02334146