EXPLORING THE AFRICANNESS OF SCHOOL PRINCIPALS AS A FRAMEWORK FOR INDIGENOUS PEDAGOGY IN AFRICA: EVIDENCE FROM A UNIVERSITY PRIMARY SCHOOL IN NIGERIA

African pedagogy emphasizes the importance of integrating African knowledge systems and culture into education, to empower learners, promote cultural identity and pride. Principals, the appointed school leaders set the tone for educational practices, curriculum implementation, pedagogy and school culture. The principals’ “Africanness”, such leaders’ perspectives of African culture, knowledge systems and experience would go a long way in advancing African pedagogy within the schools they lead. This exploratory study identified the principal’s perspectives of Nigerian cultural values and tradition, determined the influence of these perspectives on incorporation of African pedagogy into school activities, investigated the extent of learners’ participation in African pedagogy and the benefits to learners and teachers. Significance of this study for determining the future of African culture were highlighted. Data for the study were gathered by means of semi structured interviews with twenty pupils of the university primary school, six teachers and the school principal