Analysis of African Communalism as a Determinant of Ethical Values: the Case of Primary Education in Kenya

Abstract

Ethical values, a fundamental aspect of human life, govern the choice between doing good or bad. Recently, there has been an increase in cases of unethical behaviour among school going children both at the primary level and those who have graduated from this important segment of education despite various efforts being made by the government to integrate value concerns in the curriculum. It is well established that an increase in cases of student unrest, examination malpractices and corruption in the general public corroborate the fact that, that the current value education approach being employed by the Kenya government has failed to live to the expectations of social function of education which is to nurture ethical citizenry. The purpose of this study is to analyse the utility of African communalism as a determinant of ethical values in the primary school curriculum since values are best taught and nurtured from an early age. Given that this is a philosophical study, conceptual analysis, critical and prescriptive methods of philosophical study were employed. The theoretical framework that the study employs is Afro-centrism which advocates for putting African ideas at the centre stage of any analysis that involves African issues. It articulates traditional African history and value system that remind Africans of their rich culture that was devalued by colonisation and Western education. The study results point to the fact that despite the various efforts by the Kenyan government to integrate value concerns in the curriculum through various education reports and policy documents, the recommendations that point to values from these reports have never been fully incorporated in the curriculum. Also, the usage of integration approach of values education seems not to solve issues of ethical values among the students. This study prescribes the introduction of a new subject on ethics that will ensure the teaching of values from an African communalist perspective with Philosophy for Children as the main pedagogical approach.