Traditional Values and Local Community in the Formal Educational System in Senegal : Relevance, Need, and Barriers to the Integration of Local Knowledge

This book explores the discourse of traditional values and local practices within the formal educational system in Senegal, investigating how these cultural elements are present in the daily life of the community and integrated into formal schools and teaching. Studying the integration of concepts such as __Jom__ (hard work, pride, dignity), __Kersa__ (decency), __Fule__ (self-respect), __Mun__ (endurance), __Teranga__ (hospitality), __Kal__ (kinship), and __Suture__ (Protection), it looks at how values are used, perceived and understood within communities, as well as their positive and negative connotations in the postcolonial context. Based on long-term participant education and utilizing a critical auto-ethnography lens, it ultimately proposes that such concepts can be used to counterbalance the Western knowledge to which schoolchildren are mostly exposed, connecting this to Bhaba’s system of the ‘Third Space”; a hybrid system to accommodate both educational systems for more relevant education. An informed study of the positive impacts of traditional cultural values on education in Senegal, it will appeal to scholars, researchers and practitioners of education in post-colonial Francophone countries with interests in culturally relevant education, African education, post-colonial education, and international education. Dedication Contents List of table Acknowledgments List of acronyms 1. Introduction 1.1. Context 1.2. Statement of the problem 1.3. Significance and purpose of this study 1.4. Research questions 1.5. Structure of this book 2. Reviewing the literature and framing the concepts 2.1. Western education, cultural values, and socioeconomic development through the lenses of social theorists 2.2. Description, discussion, and framing of main concepts 2.3. African traditional education: Place and role of community and values, social responsibility, and expectations 2.4. Western education effects on traditional education and values 2.5. Evolution of formal education and promotion of cultural values and local communities 2.6. Conclusion 3. Methodology 3.1. Research design 3.2. Research methods 3.3. Ethical concerns 3.4. Limitations 3.5. Background and positionality 3.6. Conclusion 4. The case 4.1. Thies: Historical and demographic background information 4.2. The Serrer Noons 4.3. The Serrer Noons’ traditional culture 4.4. Economic background 4.5. Education in the community 4.6. The school 4.7. My year 5. Traditional values and/or moral principles: Definition of concepts, perception by participants, and place in daily life 5.1. Jom 5.2. Muñ 5.3. Suturë 5.4. Kersa 5.5. Teranga 5.6. Maslaa 5.7. Kal 5.8. Other traditional values 5.9. Critical assessment 6. Discourses regarding traditional values in Senegal 6.1. Values versus local practices 6.2. Perception, place, and use in the community 6.3. Embodiment of values 6.4. Gender and values 6.5. Age and values 6.6. Values in the past versus values now 7. Values and/or moral principles in schools: Presence, use, and reference 7.1. Values in the schools 7.2. Values and antivalues in the target school 7.3. Informal use and reference to local values, traditional moral principles, and local practices 7.4. Formal use of values and local practices 7.5. Suggestion on how to best integrate traditional values 7.6. Values in formal schools: What for? 8. Implications and challenges 8.1. Effects on the teaching-learning process 8.2. Effects on teachers 8.3. Effects on learners 8.4. Challenges 8.5. Relevance 9. Local community 9.1. APE, AMER, and CGE: Role, engagement, and effects 9.2. Local community’s engagement and visits to schools 9.3. Parents pedagogical and financial support to schoolchildren 9.4. Effects on schooling 9.5. Promoting increased involvement/engagement 10. Conclusion and recommendations 10.1. Contributions and future research 10.2. Recommendations Appendices Index This book explores the discourse of traditional values and local practices within the formal educational system in Senegal, investigating how these cultural elements are present in the daily life of the community and integrated into formal schools and teaching. Studying the integration of concepts such as Jom (hard work, pride, and dignity), Kersa (decency), Fule (self-respect), Mun (endurance), Teranga (hospitality), Kal (kinship), and Suture (Protection), it looks at how values are used, perceived, and understood within communities, as well as their positive and negative connotations in the postcolonial context. Based on long-term participant education and utilizing a critical auto-ethnography lens, it ultimately proposes that such concepts can be used to counterbalance the Western knowledge to which schoolchildren are mostly exposed, connecting this to Bhabha’s system of the ‘Third Space’; a hybrid system to accommodate both educational systems for more relevant education. An informed study of the positive impacts of traditional cultural values on education in Senegal, it will appeal to scholars, researchers, and practitioners of education in postcolonial Francophone countries with interests in culturally relevant education, African education, postcolonial education, and international education.