Integrating African Indigenous Practices and Digital Tools into Early Childhood Education: Lessons Learned from GPE KIX Research Projects
From 2020 to 2024, the Global Partnership for Education Knowledge and Innovation Exchange (GPE KIX), a joint endeavour with Canada’s International Development Research Centre (IDRC), supported eight applied research projects on early learning.
In this blog post, we hear from Godfrey Ejuu, Miria Nandera, and Patricia Kitsao-Wekulo, about their experiences with three of these projects.
Introduction
Early childhood education (ECE) contributes to children’s cognitive, social and emotional development, thereby supporting their long-term success. In Sub-Saharan Africa, where access to ECE can be limited, digital tools and data-driven strategies can increase access to and help foster inclusive, equitable and effective ECE. However, there is growing concern about the applicability, sustainability and relevance of Western approaches to ECE within the African context. In many cases, ECE in Africa involves the superficial adaptation of Western-centric frameworks and interventions with limited incorporation of contextualized or indigenous knowledge. This raises the question: How can Indigenous African knowledge systems and modern digital tools come together to improve ECE?
The findings from three ongoing GPE KIX applied research projects provide insights into how digital innovations and evidence-based practices are being used to strengthen efforts by teachers, parents and ECE facilitators to ensure that ECE in African contexts is sustainable, equitable and culturally relevant.
Learning Through Play in Kenya
In Kenya, a team led by the African Population and Health Research Center (APHRC) developed a Learning Through Play (LTP) model that merges traditional African learning methods — for example, storytelling, imitation and collaboration — with the use of digital tools. The model highlights the importance of play as a mechanism in children’s learning and development and includes activities designed to improve cognitive, social and emotional skills.
Drawing on the findings of the Tayari program — a 2016–17 initiative in Kenya focused on incorporating traditional African learning methods into ECE — the LTP model emphasizes contextualized play-based learning that is adapted to local cultures and community settings.
Teachers who engage with the LTP model report using stories, songs and poems to introduce new topics or concepts in the classroom. They have shared that the LTP model provides them the opportunity to invite community elders or storytellers into their classrooms to share traditional stories and to encourage learners to share their own stories related to a specific lesson topic. The teachers also incorporate play-based activities that reflect local traditions, such as games or role-playing scenarios rooted in cultural practices. Additionally, they feel that there is potential to use digital platforms to embed Indigenous learning techniques in the formal curriculum. For example, they can use preloaded videos to bring Indigenous stories to life, even in areas with limited Internet access or poor cellphone coverage.
The LTP model provides a pathway to engage caregivers and local community members in the learning process, and community members have the opportunity to teach cultural songs, stories and practical skills. Overall, teachers participating in the program have developed a newfound appreciation for the combination of new digital technologies with local practices and resources.
Inclusive Home-Based Early Learning Project (IHELP) in Uganda
In Uganda, parents are using digital platforms to deliver accessible and inclusive ECE to children through the IHELP project. This collaborative effort between parents — some of whom have a formal education and some of whom have no formal education — and teachers is based on a five-day cycle and allows children to receive ECE in their communities. IHELP trains parents to tell cultural stories, sing songs and teach their children how to do domestic chores. Trained teachers focus on the academic aspects of learning foundational literacy and numeracy skills.
Parents are responsible for running IHELP centres, which are located in the homes of participating families to ensure accessibility and increase community involvement in early learning. Running the centres typically includes cleaning, preparing meals and undertaking occasional repairs. Two days a week, parents also facilitate the activities mentioned above. Another two days per week, qualified teachers provide literacy and numeracy instruction in either a face-to-face or a digital format. For digital sessions, parents or teachers play recorded lessons and follow the instructions given in the videos. The videos are recorded by trained teachers from outside of the centres and uploaded onto Kyambogo University’s early childhood departmental website. Parents and teachers can download the videos, with the help of project research assistants if necessary. For face-to-face sessions, instruction is delivered in a classroom-like manner, with teachers providing instruction and leading learning activities. The final day of the week is child peer-led and play-focused, with parental supervision. Plenty of outdoor and indoor play materials are provided to encourage both independent and collaborative learning. On the “play day,” children with special needs can come for an orientation to the learning environment or to be assessed to see if they need extra support.
The parent-teacher collaboration fosters community ownership and reduces dependency on external resources. Situating the centres within participating families’ homes improves communities’ access to early childhood education. The project team hopes these features will help support the long-term sustainability and cultural relevance of the project.
Throughout, Ethiopia, Malawi and Uganda the Inclusive Child-to-Child Learning Approach (iCLAP) project is piloting a peer mentorship model that empowers older children — called Young Facilitators — to share stories with younger learners using digital storytelling via pre-downloaded videos and mobile devices. This low-cost, offline approach brings culturally relevant stories to life, even in areas without consistent Internet or electricity access. Each ECE centre has access to a smartphone, managed by the Centre Management Committee, and occasional access to a laptop. Some parents let their children use their personal phones, further expanding access to digital learning tools.
Rooted in African traditions of oral storytelling and communal learning, the iCLAP method bridges the gap between home and school, increasing engagement and enhancing learning in ECE centres through shared storytelling. The approach supports marginalized learners in particular by ensuring equitable access to learning content and representing a diversity of characters to reinforce gender inclusion.
The responses from caregivers and children involved in the initiative thus far have been encouraging. Initially, some caregivers expressed reservations, particularly around the idea of children taking on teaching roles. For example, in Uganda, one mother asked, “If my daughter is now a teacher, when will she be taught?” However, these concerns lessened after caregivers attended orientation sessions and had opportunities to observe the peer-facilitated learning activities. Caregivers reported increased self-confidence, stronger engagement in learning and renewed enthusiasm for school among the children. Many caregivers also appreciated the use of familiar, culturally rooted storytelling content, which helped them relate to and support the approach. Meanwhile, the older children described a growing sense of pride and responsibility, saying that guiding their peers made them feel more invested in their own learning journey.
Although this project is still in its early stages, the preliminary findings are encouraging. The project aims to promote this inclusive practice that not only democratizes the learning experience but also nurtures essential skills such as public speaking, empathy, leadership and collaborative learning in every child.
Lessons Learned
- The benefits of hybrid approaches: Combining digital and traditional storytelling methods can help ensure inclusivity and engagement. This mix caters to individual differences and helps strengthen connections between home and school learning.
- Peer mentorship has the potential to strengthen learning: Having older children teach younger ones can promote confidence-building and knowledge-retention among them. In addition, it provides the younger children opportunities to engage in early learning.
- Using Indigenous knowledge is critical: When communities understand that their own knowledge is being used to teach their children, they become more supportive and seem to participate more in early learning programs. This will potentially lead to greater long-term sustainability of programs and increase the benefits for children.
Conclusion
These projects highlight the importance of tailoring educational practices to local needs for sustained improvements in early learning outcomes. Through the GPE KIX research projects, countries such as Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi and Uganda are demonstrating how education can be both deeply rooted in culture and boldly oriented toward the future. By combining digital tools with Indigenous knowledge, we can create more effective and inclusive ECE programs that empower communities and foster long-term educational success.
