African indigenous knowledge systems and relevance of higher education in South Africa

The higher education system in Africa and South Africa in particular,is still too academic and distant from the developmental challengesof African local communities. The integration of African indigenousknowledge systems (AIKS) into the higher educational system couldimprove its relevance. This is due to the holistic, community-based natureand approach of AIKS to education and knowledge production. However,this requires an African indigenous theoretical framework of knowledgeto guide the integration process. The framework should also clarify therelevance of African indigenous languages in knowledge productionand sharing in the era of globalisation. There is also need for a stronginstitutional support system for a sustainable integration as shown by theexperiences of some higher educational institutions in South Africa