172 Ethics in Higher Education: Values-driven Leaders for the Future
Heads of the Science Councils to explore the role of the social and
natural sciences in supporting the development of indigenous knowledge
systems (1998), it was clear that this was not quite as simple a task as it
initially appeared. Then located at the Human Sciences Research
Council, I was tasked to develop a framework for developing,
coordinating, managing and prioritizing Science Council’s activities in
IKS.
The driving question behind the responsibility was: How can
indigenous knowledge systems impact on the transformation of
knowledge generating institutions such as science councils and higher
education institutions?
It quickly became clear to me that engaging in IKS would, of
necessity firstly, have to entail commitment to the collective creation
and recreation of several aspects of history, of practice, and of cognitive
frameworks guiding thinking at present.
Secondly, it would require the development of freedom to envision a
generative African future capable of developing practical strategies for
human development based on knowledge resources reposing in its
diverse peoples, and from that base drawing upon the power of modern
science and technology towards the value addition objective.
Thirdly, it would be self-evident that there cannot be a people
centred development without accepting that those we have so easily
labelled as poor are not “tabula rasa”, might actually be “knowledge
rich...only economically poor (Gupta 1999)”.
Fourthly, it would mean that we have to consider that while the
integration of content would require cultivating basic knowledge of both
IKS and western knowledge, the development of bi-cultural experts, and
re-aligning such knowledge for direct policy formation and formulation
have to become urgent priorities. An important step in this should be an
investment in developing a language, a philosophy, a framework and