EXPLORING SELECTED SETSWANA DRAMA TEXTS AS THE PRINCIPLE OF UBUNTU/BOTHO IN EDUCATIONAL CONTEXT

Talking about the importance of Ubuntu/Botho in any educational system “Authentic humanism consists in permitting the emergence of the awareness of full humanity, as a condition and as an obligation, as a situation and as a project”. To inculcate a sense of values at schools, is intended to help young people achieve higher levels of moral judgement. This belief is that education does not exist simply to serve the market, but to serve society, and that means instilling in students a broad sense of values that can emerge only from a balanced exposure to the humanities as well as the sciences. Enriching the individual in this way is, by extension, enriching the society. This carries the involvement within the teaching and assessment of Setswana drama texts with third year (BEd) students. Ubuntu is a Nguni term while Botho is a Setswana term from the Southern African region that means a belief in a universal relationship of sharing that connects all humanity. The researcher takes note of the key element of Ubuntu/Botho, understood as “motho ke motho ka batho” (in Setswana). The English translation of this expression is “a human being is a human being because of other human beings”. The participants in this study were 24 BEd students from the language department. The comprehensive analysis includes data gathered from students: peer observation and interviews. Text analysis was used to analyse and interpret qualitative data obtained through interviews and observations with the aim of investigating the principle of Ubuntu/Botho in the characters of the two drama texts and how could students apply Ubuntu/Botho in their teaching to illustrate each theme.