Developing an indigenous mathematics, science and Technology education master’s programme : a three universities collaboration

The study investigates the indigenisation of the Mathematics, Science and Technology (MST) Education Master’s Programme with a view to developing a joint MST Master’s programme for UNISA University of Botswana and Chinhoyi University of Technology. This is an NRF-funded project involving these three universities (UNISA, University of Botswana and Chinhoyi University of Technology). In 2021, the proposer of the project, Prof MT Gumbo, applied for the Comprehensive Programme for Rated Researchers. He included three academics representing the three MST streams from the University of Botswana (UB) and Chinhoyi University of Technology (CUT). The project has been running since 2022.

The study investigates the indigenisation of the Mathematics, Science and Technology (MST) Education Master’s Programme with a view to developing a joint MST Master’s programme for UNISA University of Botswana and Chinhoyi University of Technology.

Research and teaching of MST in higher education suffer Westernisation which stalls sustainable development and adds to poverty in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) (Kwaira & Gumbo, 2017; Moalosi, Marope & Setlhatlhanyo, 2017); Nhemachena, Hlabangane & Matowanyika, 2020). The content, teaching and research in Mathematics, Science and Technology (MST) have and continue to deny indigenous students opportunities to learn and research about indigenous knowledge systems (IKS). This is despite the existence of indigenous science and technology (including mathematics) for centuries (Opoku Jnr & James, 2021) which are expressed through indigenous industries in the specialist fields such as blacksmithing, woodcarving, textile-weaving and dyeing (Nhemachena et al., 2020). This long-time existence of ethno-MST are endowed with epistemologies, skills and resources which provide the basis for teaching and research. Indigenous knowledge (IK), including MST, is important for local people’s survival as it is applied in their daily activities (Gumbo, 2017). There is therefore a need to indigenise, as part of decolonial project, the MST programmes in order to realise the benefits of sustainability that ethno-MST can bring to indigenous communities. Datta (2018) advocates for a collaborative research knowledge that is culturally appropriate, honouring and careful of indigenous communities. The scope of universities’ attempts to decolonise (indigenise/Africanise) the academic programmes is narrow as they mainly focus on the undergraduate programme and neglect the postgraduate programme.