Paper short abstract:

The paper discusses the teaching of culturally relevant content for the Juǀ'hoansi of central eastern Namibia, and addresses the challenges for the inclusion of marginalized groups in a multicultural postcolonial school setting.

Paper long abstract:

The Juǀ'hoansi of central eastern Namibia have received increased access to formal education after the country gained independence in 1990. Once nomadic hunter-gatherers, the Juǀ'hoansi now live as marginalized subsistence farmers or squatters at the socioeconomic and geographic margins of society. Education is often seen as one of the main vehicles for their transformation and empowerment. Yet, despite the fact that Namibia has one of the most progressive education policies in the region, and there are many provisions made for the inclusion of the Juǀ'hoansi in the system, their enrolment and completion rates remain disproportionally lower than those for other groups.

The education policy allows for the inclusion of culturally relevant content in primary schools in the country. This paper focuses on the inclusion of such content for the Juǀ'hoansi, based on data collected from eight primary schools in the region. What are the educators' attitudes towards Juǀ'hoan traditional knowledge, and what hinders and facilitates its inclusion in the education system? More broadly, the paper discusses the gap between policy and practice, particularly in multicultural postcolonial school settings.