IMPROVING THE RELEVANCE OF SCIENCE EDUCATION CURRICULUM BY INTEGRATING THE NATURE OF SCIENCE, SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING PRACTICES, AND INDIGENOUS KNOWLEDGE IN AFRICA

Abstract

Many African countries have emphasized science and technology as the engine for national development. Hence, they have made core science subjects (Chemistry, Biology, Physics and Mathematics) to be compulsory in high school. However, learners’ interest in studying science has not increased, and they have continued to perform poorly in these core science subjects. Most researchers have argued that the science taught in schools at all levels of education is irrelevant to the learners' needs and out of context. Also, the current science is taught as a fixed knowledge in a dogmatic style without considering the Nature of Science (NOS) in the real world. Therefore, in this paper, the researcher proposes based on the literature review how we should integrate the NOS, Science and Engineering practices, and Indigenous knowledge to improve the relevance of science education curriculum at all levels of education (from Preprimary to University). This will help the African countries to train a critical human resource in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) fields to solve the problems facing humanity accordingly.