“Schools Should Use Local Knowledge and Languages”- Prof. Banahene Adjei

In a passionate address at a thought-provoking webinar titled “A Day Scientific Renaissance in the 21st Century: The Important Role of Indigenous Knowledges as Exist in African Elder Critical Teachings (ELDERCRITS),” Professor Paul Banahene Adjei emphasized the urgent need to rethink the role of education in African communities.

Delivering the keynote speech on June 26, 2025 , Prof. Banahene challenged conventional definitions of education, asserting, “If your acquired knowledge cannot bring about change in your community, then that’s not education but miseducation.” His remarks sparked deep reflection among participants on the relevance of modern education to local realities.

Highlighting the disconnect between Westernized curricula and African contexts, Prof. Banahene advocated for the use of local languages as the medium of instruction in schools. According to him, theories and practical teachings should be indigenized to reflect and respond to the environments and socio-cultural realities of African communities.

“Our knowledge systems must not only acknowledge our heritage but also be functional within our setting,” he stated. “Language is more than a tool of communication it is a vessel of culture, wisdom, and identity.”

He called on educators, students, policy makers, government officials, and traditional leaders to actively promote and integrate local languages and indigenous knowledge into educational institutions and national discourse.

The webinar, hosted by the Department of Social Work, attracted scholars, practitioners, and students committed to the decolonization of education and the revitalization of African knowledge systems. The event served as a platform to reimagine how education can empower communities and preserve cultural integrity in a rapidly globalizing world.

Prof. Banahene’s call to action signals a growing movement toward educational reform that embraces African languages and indigenous philosophies as essential components of meaningful learning and social transformation.