Abstract
M.A.
The role of the curriculum is to produce active students that can solve the problems of their society. Indigenous knowledge has been neglected as part of educational reform in Africa and this cannot continue as it reduces success, cognitive development and the academic achievements of students due to the cultural capital of the student not being taken into consideration. The African universities consist of African modules and programmes, however, these are not linked to African culture and realities. The purpose of this study was to determine the stakeholders’ views on indigenous culinary knowledge and the current culinary curriculum with a view to proposing a framework of recommendations, based on the findings, curriculum development and policy, in implementing indigenous culinary knowledge in the curriculum. This study investigated a sample of students and culinary lecturers in a higher education institution. It investigated the current culinary curriculum as well as student and lecturer perceptions in relation to indigenous culinary knowledge. It also investigated the aspects of indigenous knowledge that could be incorporated in the curriculum, as well as ways they could be incorporated. The participating culinary lecturers took part in open-ended interviews that were then transcribed and analysed. The students completed an online open-ended survey through their Blackboard Learning System. The qualitative data were analysed through contextualising the views from the students and lecturers and then grouped into the 10 dimensions of indigenous/traditional foods. The views of the stakeholders were generally positive. While the students indicated a lack of indigenous foods and knowledge in their current curriculum, the lecturers were able to acknowledge and recommend ways in which indigenous foods and knowledge could be incorporated into the skill-focused curriculum. The key respondents highlighted that there was not sufficient indigenous culinary knowledge in the current culinary curriculum due to the lack of knowledge on indigenous foods, limited access to food products and focus on the current structure of the curriculum. In relation to this, the study recommended a curriculum model that would include indigenous culinary knowledge in the current culinary curriculum, which would be reflective of the views of lecturers and students as stakeholders in curriculum development. The study proposed that future research should be undertaken to complement the current study, as well as to add to existing research on indigenous culinary knowledge in culinary curricula in South African higher education institutions.