2025 Volume 16 Pages 21-27
This paper reconsiders the role of ethno-science in science education. In the early 2000s, the role of ethno-science was shown to be in opposition to modern Western science. However, it was argued that the essays advocating the legitimacy of ethno-science failed to address the limits of Western science, and that indigenous knowledge should not be covered in science education because it could be replaced by other subjects. However, in current sub-Saharan Africa, the acquisition of scientific process skills is not sufficiently practiced or achieved in classrooms. Therefore, in order to address this issue, I argue that indigenous knowledge should be used as a starting point for “prediction” and “hypothesis setting,” which are the beginnings of scientific inquiry. Furthermore, indigenous knowledge should be used as a foundation to follow the scientific inquiry process and acquire valid scientific concepts, thereby positioning it as a means to acquire scientific process skills.
