Towards a Relevant Curriculum: An Ethnographic Study of Pedagogical Aspirations and Local Knowledge in Chad

This ethnographic study, conducted between 2021 and 2025, investigates the persistent disjuncture between Chad’s formal national curriculum and the lived realities of its secondary school learners. It posits that achieving curriculum relevance requires the systematic integration of pedagogical aims with the rich, often marginalised, local knowledge systems of African communities. To capture the nuanced interplay between policy and practice, the research employed sustained participant observation and in-depth interviews with teachers, elders, parents, and pupils across three distinct socio-ecological regions. Findings reveal a strong, articulated desire amongst educators for a curriculum that cultivates critical thinking and problem-solving skills directly pertinent to local challenges, such as sustainable agriculture and water management. Simultaneously, the study documents a vast, untapped reservoir of indigenous knowledge—encompassing oral histories, ecological practices, and local governance models—that remains excluded from formal pedagogy. The research demonstrates, with empirical rigour, that decolonising education for the 21st-century learner in Chad necessitates a participatory, bottom-up reform model. This model must formally valorise local epistemologies as core curriculum content, thereby fostering a more culturally sustaining and empowering education system that bridges national aspirations with contextual relevance.