Educational rights for indigenous communities in Botswana and Namibia

The indigenous peoples of Botswana and Namibia, the San, have the lowest educational attainment rates of any population in both countries, despite various efforts to incorporate them into mainstream education systems. Both countries are signatories of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, which includes several references to education. This document, and other rights mechanisms, address both the right to access mainstream educational institutions that respect and accommodate the languages and cultures of indigenous children, and the right to ‘establish and control their own educational systems and institutions, providing education in their own languages in a manner appropriate to their cultural methods of teaching and learning’ (Article 14). This article provides an overview of the current state of both of these aspects of educational rights for indigenous peoples in Botswana and Namibia. What is the best way to improve educational options for San communities in southern Africa? Can a rights-based approach be effective? Does an indigenous rights perspective have anything to add to the debate? This paper examines these questions, and links rights-based arguments with other approaches to education. It argues that a variety of approaches are needed to fully address the complex issues confronting San communities today. A sophisticated understanding of indigenous rights acknowledges this, and if used strategically, could provide a comprehensive and productive approach to educational issues for San communities.