Hunter-Gatherer Children at School: A View From the Global South

Velina Ninkova, Jennifer Hays, Noa Lavi, Aishah Ali, Silvia Lopes da Silva Macedo, Helen Elizabeth Davis, Sheina Lew-Levy

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Universal formal education is a major global development goal. Yet hunter-gatherer communities have extremely low participation rates in formal schooling, even in comparison with other marginalized groups. Here, we review the existing literature to identify common challenges faced by hunter-gatherer children in formal education systems in the Global South. We find that hunter-gatherer children are often granted extensive personal autonomy, which is at odds with the hierarchical culture of school. Hunter-gatherer children face economic, infrastructural, social, cultural, and structural barriers that negatively affect their school participation. While schools have been identified as a risk to the transmission of hunter-gatherer values, languages, and traditional knowledge, they are also viewed by hunter-gatherer communities as a source of economic and cultural empowerment. These observations highlight the need for hunter-gatherer communities to decide for themselves the purpose school serves, and whether children should be compelled to attend.

Original languageAmerican English
JournalReview of Educational Research
DOIs
StateAccepted/In press - 2024

Keywords

  • educational marginalization
  • hunter-gatherers
  • mobile communities
  • universal education

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Education

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