The Value Of Indigenous Education In Education For Sustainable Development

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The pacific are scattered with islands divided into three groups and classified as Polynesian, Micronesian and Melanesia. These islands are surrounded by thousands of corals, atolls and the vast pacific sea. Due to these setting the pacific islanders, for thousands of years have adapted well to their environment and has sustain their development through their generations. Though the environment are sometimes harsh through natural disasters such as tidal waves, cyclone, hurricane and flood they are able to sustain their life by their great knowledge known as indigenous knowledge which has been past knowledge down from generation to generation. This essay will critically analyze the value of indigenous in Education for sustainable development. Highlight major events which can sustain indigenous knowledge such as dancing, music, artifacts, sharing, orally and also technology.
Indigenous knowledge is defined as local ideas, skills and understanding which had been discovered by our ancestors (Stension, M. 2006, P. 64-65). These local skills, knowledge, ideas and understanding have been unknown in education now a day but they are value, and also make education more meaningful. There are a lot of local skills which our people of Tuvalu used in the past in order to survive such as skills of fishing, healing, predicting weather forecast and the skill of planting garden. They have been practiced these local knowledge and also educated individuals since they were young.
According to Stension (2006) indigenous skills of fishing was been passed down from generation to generation contribute to the development of people survival (p. 65). It also helps individuals to be educated and provide families need and want (p. 65-66). For example in Tuvalu...

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...to apply in order to survive.
Moreover Hunt (1969) considers that teachers must include indigenous knowledge in formal education as part of the curriculum. This is due to the fact of individuals was been encourage now a day to attend formal school. In the classroom teachers must integrate indigenous knowledge into individual subjects. For example indigenous knowledge of weaving mat can be including in the art and craft. The skills of forecasting weather can be including in basic science. This is the only chance which individuals can involve in sustaining local knowledge. Supported by Tausie (1980, p. 35) individual learn western knowledge such as English language in the classroom which dominated our traditional lifestyle. As teachers it is our responsibility to relate children to learn their indigenous knowledge so that they can sustain their indigenous knowledge.

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