Indigenous knowledge transmission in public preprimary education in Borena Oromoo of southern Ethiopia and northern Kenya: A comparative case study

This comparative case study examines how Indigenous Knowledge (IK) is transmitted to public preprimary children in the trans-border Borena Oromoo communities of southern Ethiopia and northern Kenya (Moyale). The study particularly explores the comparative role of parents and schools in transmitting IK to preprimary school children in the two contexts. Guided by Vygotsky's Sociocultural Theory and Indigenous Knowledge Systems (IKS) theory, this qualitative research draws on document analysis, semi-structured interviews, focus group discussions, and classroom observations in Ethiopia's Oromia Region and Kenya's Marsabit County. Across both contexts, parents and schools share three primary pedagogical pathways for knowledge construction: (1) learning through play and traditional games, (2) storytelling as moral and ecological pedagogy, and (3) embodied participation in communal activities. In both nations, IK forms the bedrock of children's socio-cultural development at home, yet its integration into public preprimary education remains inconsistent and inadequately institutionalized. Despite similar socio-cultural milieus, education policy and geopolitical contexts diverge significantly. In Ethiopia, minimal structured involvement of parents or elders exists in official curriculum design, despite policy recognition of the Gadaa system. In Kenya, policy frameworks encourage community consultation, yet meaningful, sustained participation of elders faces substantial practical challenges. Crucially, both systems exhibit a loose coupling between national frameworks and local IK practices. The persistent gap between policy rhetoric and classroom practice arises from three interrelated factors: (1) centralized curriculum design (2) inadequate mechanisms for translating community knowledge into pedagogical content, and (3) the absence of cross-border IK knowledge networks that transcend national education systems. While children demonstrate agency in bridging home-based IK with formal schooling, meaningful IK integration requires formally recognizing parents and elders as indispensable partners, decentralizing curriculum co-design, establishing cross-border collaboration, and systematically embedding communal learning practices into pedagogical frameworks. This research contributes to global conversations on decolonizing Early Childhood Education by asserting that Indigenous Epistemologies are vital for holistic child development and cultural resilience.