Heritage-Based Education as a Catalyst for Integrating Ubuntu Philosophy in Primary Classrooms

Abstract

This study explores how Heritage-Based Education serves as a catalyst for integrating Ubuntu philosophy into primary school classrooms, focusing on teachers’ interpretations, classroom implementation, and the promotion of cultural and ethical values. It highlights the role of Indigenous knowledge systems and communal ethics in foundational education, contributing to debates on culturally responsive curricula. Using a qualitative ethnographic case study design, data were generated through semi-structured interviews with two community leaders, five teachers and two administrators, classroom observations conducted by the researchers, and analysis of curriculum guides and teaching materials at a school in Seke Rural, Mashonaland East Province. Data were analysed thematically. Findings show that Heritage-Based Education actively enabled and strengthened the enactment of Ubuntu values such as respect, cooperation, and communal responsibility. Teachers employed strategies including storytelling, mother-tongue instruction, and structured collaboration with community elders, positioning heritage education as a practical driver of ethical and relational learning. Despite challenges such as limited training, scarce resources, and assessment misalignment, teachers creatively adapted lessons to achieve cultural, ethical, and pedagogical goals. The study recommends targeted teacher professional development, improved provision of culturally relevant learning materials, and assessment reforms that recognise ethical and cultural learning outcomes, to strengthen effective curriculum implementation and sustain Ubuntu-informed pedagogy.