Namibia has two major ethnic groups with very distinct lifestyles and beliefs. Both the Ovahimba and related groups classified under the HIPO (Himba Indigenous People Organization) umbrella live in remote rural areas and maintain indigenous nomadic cultures and lifestyles. In their natural environment, both these communities live far from services such as schools, hospitals, information centers, etc. Because of their cultures, they are often discriminated against or prejudiced. They regrettably become victims of discrimination by “mainstream” communities.
Published in Chapter:
Building Peaceful Inclusive Schools for Inclusive Education: Is Namibia on the Transformation Path?
Cynthy K. Haihambo (University of Namibia, Namibia) and Hilda N. Shiimi (Ministry of Education, Arts, and Culture, Namibia)
Copyright: © 2019
|Pages: 20
DOI: 10.4018/978-1-5225-7476-7.ch014
Abstract
Namibia is home to a diverse population in terms of race, ethnicity, socio-cultural status, culture, language, religion, abilities, and tradition. Before independence, race was the main variable in determining the quality of education one would receive. Upon independence, Namibians where determined to do away with all forms of inequality in education by adopting the Education for All philosophy. Namibia is signatory to various international conventions including the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Salamanca Declaration. The findings suggest that, even though school principals and teachers seemingly support inclusion, it could be deduced that they either have a limited understanding and far-fetched understanding of what inclusive education really means.