Indigenous knowledge varies across contexts and is now gaining attention from global thinkers who explore the survival strategies of marginalised communities, providing an alternative life perspective. In the changing societal landscape, it's vital to be aware of the indigenous knowledge of tribal people in West Bengal and Jharkhand. Creating an inclusive model for integrating this knowledge into formal education is crucial, preserving and
promoting it through modern schooling.
Examining the benefits of indigenous knowledge reveals two implications. Firstly, it inherently possesses unique sustainability. Secondly, from an educational perspective, it helps learners reconstruct ideas and experiences meaningfully and joyfully, transforming informal learning into formal learning, aligning with the principles of the National Education Policy 2020.
The NEP 2020 emphasises learning through meaningful and joyful experiences, advocating for work-based and action-based education. It underscores the symbiotic relationship between knowledge and action, asserting that practicability determines education quality. Therefore, researchers aim to develop a model for indigenization to incorporate indigenous knowledge into formal school curricula.
To achieve this, researchers explored the field and analysed primary and secondary documents. Findings indicated that tribal communities in West Bengal and Jharkhand engage in various indigenous knowledge practices, involving pedagogical dimensions like learning through content creation, observation, trial and error, deep involvement in situations, and perceiving situations from multiple dimensions. Tribal people approach learning collectively, often in groups, emphasising direct experience—a strategy aligned with situational-based or experiential learning highlighted in the NEP 2020.
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