Inclusion of indigenous knowledge in the new primary and middle school curriculum of Ethiopia

Abstract This study investigated the inclusion of indigenous knowledge (IK) in the Amhara Region’s new primary and middle school textbooks in a trial. For this purpose, book reviews of the three purposely selected primary and middle school textbooks were made. Besides, data were collected from 372 teachers and interviews were also made with 28 sample teachers. The collected data were analyzed quantitatively using number counts, percentage, mean and standard deviation, whereas the qualitative data were analyzed using descriptions and text narrations. Findings revealed that although there are encouraging attempts to include IK in the textbooks, still the inclusion of IK in the new textbooks is not significant. In the Grade 5 Environmental Science textbook, only a few lessons involve twenty-eight out of one hundred fifty activities that indicate IK. Similarly, in Grade 6 Environmental Science, it is only eleven out of one hundred-six activities, and in Grade 7 Social Study, thirteen out of sixty-six activities enable learners to share IK systems. Besides, in the Grade 7 General Science, about 79% of activities in the lessons were not directly inviting learners to link them with their IK. The findings of the three sample textbooks revealed that the majority of contents that included exercises, project works, and graphic representations demonstrate a low level of context-based IK incorporation. Accordingly, despite some progress being made, the newly designed textbooks still require more improvements in including more context-based and IK-focused activities in the lessons and the proper integration of IK with 21st-century skills.


PUBLIC INTEREST STATEMENT
This study explored the Indigenous Knowledge (IK) inclusion in the new primary and middle school curricula of the Amhara Region in a trial. Knowing and valuing the contribution of IK, which is deep-rooted and inherently associated with the life of the recognized society of Ethiopia, is the timely concern for politicians, policy makers, curriculum experts, educators, and teachers. As Ethiopia is the womb of ancient wisdom, art and tremendous IK, the values of this home-grown IK is eroded by the imposition of the introduced Western culture and curricula. Hence, this study flashes light for policymakers, education experts, researchers, teachers, school leaders, the community, and other pertinent stakeholders in the education sector to focus on and value to IK and to make the indispensable and timely interventions for the proper inclusion of IK and the appropriate integration of IK with the basic 2121st-centrist 21st-centurst century skills in the newly designed textbooks in a trial.

Introduction
Indigenous knowledge (IK) is an experience indigenous people reserved and used for long years (Abera, 2020;Barnhardt & Kawagley, 2008). It is communally invented, locally recognized, deeprooted in social reality, and inherently associated with the life of the recognized society (Bruchac, 2014;Dei, 2010). Although the proportion of owning it varies, any community has elements of IK (Gorjestani, 2000). A given society develops unique local knowledge and practices which reflect long-standing traditions and cultural practices (Boven & Morohashi, 2002). Thus, indigenous people owned their traditions, cultures, languages, and histories (Githui et al., 2015).
Unlike indigenous education, Western education relies on secular intellectual development. It focuses on neutral and objective scientific elements of knowledge emphasized for subject matterbased division of the knowledge areas to which learners are exposed to adopt (Kanu, 2011). It lacks the quality of building relationships among lessons of different knowledge areas and the context-based indigenous knowledge areas of the learners (Battiste, 2013;Castagno & Brayboy, 2008;Cherubini, 2010;Deloria & Wildcat, 2001). Besides, some compulsory subjects have a different degree of importance, and science subjects are greatly valued.
To reconcile these gaps, incorporating IK into the western-oriented curriculum and classroom structure is promising (Deloria & Wildcat, 2001). This way of learning helps students to gain more confidence in context-based learning carried out based on their pace of learning, taking responsibility, and feeling a sense of ownership (Peters,). Before colonial conquest, Africans owned indigenous teaching and learning strategies and opportunities to keep up their values, institutions, language, and heritages without the intrusion of the alien knowledge system (Higgs, 2016;Nyanchoga, 2014). However, foreign incursion in the continent overshadowed the value of the local knowledge systems due to the hegemonic position of the Western value systems (Asante & Molefi, 2012;Hare & Davidson, 2019). The research findings in South Africa by Kaya and Seleti (2013) noted that the Western-led education system is excessively far from the local academic reality of Africans making them hesitant in their local values during this period. Later on, in the post-colonial period, initiatives in integrating lessons from both knowledge areas provoked African scholars to reform, restructure, and transform the African education system (Msila, 2016). South Africa took these initiatives in 1997.
Although the issue of which specific contents have to be included is debatable (Briggs, 2010;Hodson, 2009), there were common grounds on the values of incorporating IK systems in the education system as they empower the local community (the World Bank, 1998) and hopeful in achieving success in development practices (Ellen et al., 2000). These researchers believed that to make education relevant, it is better to link it to the cultural, traditional, and historical identity of the learners. As the relevance of the IK system in the life of the local people gained momentum, Shizha, 2007), United Nations (2005), and Senanayake (2017) accredited the importance of integration of IK and modern science to ensure sustainable development, community empowerment, and poverty reduction. As a result, many countries acknowledged the relevance of the inclusion of IK systems in the teaching of science (McKinley, 2020;Schafer et al., 2017). This laid the foundation for science teaching to bring lifelong learning (Herbert, 2006;Klos, 2006;McKinley, 2020); empowers the academic field of study (Hodson, 2009) and social justice practices to give advantages to the marginalized group in a nation (Dei et al., 1996). Consistent with this, Berkes and Berkes (2009) focus on the value of incorporation of indigenous knowledge in making the education system powerful; and developing thrust locally. For this purpose, scholars suggested the necessity of merging IK with Western science and producing sets of hybrid knowledge systems (Berkes & Berkes, 2009;Briggs et al., 2007;Homann et al., 2008;Lado, 2004;Liwenga, 2008;Mercer et al., 2009). They agreed that the practice of Western science and technology alone could not bring changes in the life of the people in developing nations. Hence, indigenous scholars and development policymakers began to consider indigenous education as bases for gaining information, facilitating communication, and local-level decision-making in agriculture, health care, food preparation, education, and natural resource management in the structure of the knowledge systems (Ronoh, 2017).
Like other African nations, Ethiopia owns liable IK systems and practices. According to Belay (1992), a system of administration, minting coins, carving obelisks, inventing writing systems, music, philosophy, art, aesthetics, healing, micro-financing, soil and water conservation, food processing, terracing, and pastoral traditions associated with egalitarian socio-political orders, devising technologies, iron-smelting, tanning, weaving, and pottery are some among others. Most of these flourished at the learning centers of Gondar, Lalibela, Axum, and Debre Abay which reached their peak as the learning center when European colleges and universities started to appear as the center of innovations in the 12th century (Amare, 2005). Similarly, the Ethiopian Orthodox Church laid the foundation for the beginning and development of education. This enabled the country to be recognized as the only nation in sub-Saharan Africa to have ancient written culture and well-developed numerals of its own (Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahido Church, 2007). The invention of Ethiopic scripts promoted and contributed to the expansion of literature in fighting illiteracy for many years. Despite this, the analysis made on the Ethiopian education policies (Demeke, 2011;Negash, 2005) indicates that Western education was generally considered the only means to bring progress to a nation.
The Ethiopian education policies since the 1940s were less concerned with incorporating the historical and traditional values on which the country's culture was built for long years. In this regard, our curricula in the three government systems have been focused on the Westerndominated knowledge system (Sisay, 2016). Most recently, findings in the assessment made on the existing old curriculum for finding gaps and setting goals of the Ethiopian Education Development Roadmap (2018-30) leveled the curriculum as heavily loaded with academic subjects and contents. Problem-solving skills and co-curricular activities in promoting social competence and moral development are not part of this curriculum. Currently, the country needs citizens who creatively understand the knowledge system integrated with both indigenous and Western best educational practices that solve dilemmas in society (MoE, 2018, Ministry of Education, 1994. Indigenous peoples have their local rights to protect, innovate, and manage their resources and the available knowledge systems (human and genetic resources, seeds, medicines, knowledge of the properties of fauna and flora, oral traditions, literature, designs, sports, and traditional games and visual and performing arts) together with the ways of their expressions (MoE, 2021, Ministry of Education, 1994United Nations, 2007).
Regarding the use of IK in the Amhara Region, some research studies looked for the presence of ample context-based IK systems used for solving local problems. For instance, the study related to medicinal animals in West Gojjam Zone attempted to identify animal-derived medicines as an alternative means to treat ailments in rural areas (Manaye et al., 2020). Another study by Bishaw and Wubshet (2020), on the role of IK in agricultural farming practices in the Gondar and Gojjam areas, identified parts of IK systems that play significant roles in farming activity, food production, crop storage, medicinal value to sustain life in the areas of these zones. A study on the indigenous technical knowledge of farmers in North Shoa from the Sheno agriculture research center identified indigenous soil and water conservation practices and pest control with their local name (Negash et al., 2006). However, all these studies observed that the roles of IK played in these and other daily activities of the local people were not safely guarded in the region. Documentation and giving recognition of these indigenous knowledge systems remain in vain. Although IK systems serve as a baseline for knowledge constructions in society, they were not properly utilized and are still at risk of extinction due to a lack of institutional support (Tigist et al., 2018) and not properly included in the student's textbooks (Tadesse & Esuyawkal, 2022). These studies also recommended that a better understanding of the experience of the local people and their opinion on tackling constraints have to be considered to be integrated with modern development plans. Consequently, keeping safe and disseminating these and other indigenous experiences and practices of the region need special attention.
The existence of incompetent workforces in the country is the result of the application of the knowledge systems far from the local real-life situations (predominance of a colonial education system that tends to change the country's socio-cultural aspects into the European image; Wuhibegezer et al., 2015). To settle these problems, the practice of incorporating IK into the curriculum and classroom structure is promising (Teshome, 2017). In addition, Yoseph et al. (2022) recommended the necessity of searching out solutions to save Ethiopian values from the risk of extinction. Indigenous education will enter at risk of extinction unless serious attention is given by curriculum developers to support the cultural values of the country (Adeyemi & Adeyinka 2003).
Giving due emphasis on the value of IK, the education policies (Ministry of Education, 1994 and the education sector development plans (ESDPs I-V, 2005(ESDPs I-V, , 2010(ESDPs I-V, , 2015(ESDPs I-V, , 2021 and the 2018 Education roadmap study (MoE, 2018) the tried to address it in their policy documents at least rhetorically. However, due to the Cartesian dualism of western and Tylerian rationale metanarrative, the practical applications of IK and value system in the Ethiopian curriculum at different times were a challenge (Melesse & Tessema, 2022). Analyses of the education policies of the three successive government systems since the 1940s (Demeke, 2011); education policy analysis since the introduction of the modern education system (Solomon, 2019); and most other previous research works mentioned above concerning indigenous education in Ethiopia seemed incomplete to give clear understanding concerning the inclusion of IK systems even in the then primary school curriculum. Certainly, findings of some other local research studies, for example, Wuhibegezer et al. (2015); Teshome (2017); Yared et al. (1987) have some indications about the importance of IK for the local people if it is considered in the curriculum development process. Although recently much attempt is made to involve IK and integrate it with 21 st century skills in the newly designed curriculum framework (Melesse & Tessema, 2022), its actual draft and execution in the textbooks require revisiting the new curriculum on trial thoroughly.
Since the then-existing old curriculum was suspected as it had included little or no IK elements (Damtew & Heinz, 2010;Teshome, 2017) and not repeat the same mistake, an intensive look into the new Ethiopian primary and secondary school curriculum may help the new education road map and other policy documents to obtain specific, actual, and supportive immediate solutions about the status of inclusion of IK systems since the new curriculum was in the pilot phase. So far, cases like the involvement of indigenous experiences and authentic verification of the level of IK inclusion in the curriculum were the main issues in the current study. Therefore, the main intent of the present study was to investigate the status of IK inclusion in the Amhara Region primary and middle school curriculum. For this purpose, the following leading questions were raised: (1) To what extent indigenous knowledge is integrated into the selected sample primary and middle school curriculum in a trial? And (2) How do primary and middle school teachers perceive the status of the inclusion of indigenous knowledge in the new curriculum in a trial?

Approach and design
For this study, a mixed methods approach with a concurrent design was used. A mixed methods approach can help to gain a stronger understanding, more insight, and complete information about the problem of the study. Besides, this approach minimizes limitations that evolved from each of the two approaches during the collection of the data through these methods (Creswell & Creswell, 2018). Above all, a convergent or concurrent mixed methods design was selected to achieve the purpose since it places the researcher (s) to give equal emphasis on both types of data in the process of the research study (J. Creswell, 2012). Based on these designs, researchers are required to collect quantitative data by counting occurrences, describing the data through narration and judging the status of IK inclusion in the curriculum and collecting both qualitative and quantitative data, analyzing them separately, and then comparing the results to see if the findings confirm or disconfirm others. These designs enabled us to level and narrate the status of IK inclusion in upper primary school textbooks by looking into each of the given texts, images/pictures, and project activities in the selected textbooks concurrently. Hence, the collection of both quantitative and qualitative data triangulations these data neutralize the weaknesses of each form of data (Cohen et al., 2007). Obtaining the data from various groups of data sources using multiple data collection instruments about the phenomena witnesses for the credibility of the data collected (Tashakkori & Teddlie, 2010). Therefore, in this study, the data were collected from different data sources like textbooks, and classroom teachers using various instruments like interview questions, textbook evaluation, and close-ended questions.

Sampling procedures
Among the given 7 subject matters (newly designed textbooks) on trial, three textbooks namely: Environmental Science in grades 5 and 6 and General Science and social study subjects of grade 7 were selected purposely thinking to evaluate the status of indigenous knowledge inclusion in these subject matters vertically in the three grade levels using grade six as a transition point to begin the middle-grade level primary school education.
On the other hand, from the purposely selected six administrative zones by the Amhara Regional Education Bureau (AREB) to try out the new curricula, administrative zones (West Gojjam, South Gondar, East Gojjam, and Bahir Dar City Administration) were purposely selected. In these administrative zones, nine woredas or districts (Debre Markos, Enemy, Gozamin, Bure zuria, Finote Selam, Dera, Woreta, Bahir Dar zuria, Estie) and Bahir Dar City were selected using systematic random sampling and purposive sampling techniques, respectively. Since one primary school in each district and two primary schools in the special zone were selected by AREB for the pilot, the researchers took all of these schools using comprehensive sampling.
Accordingly, in these schools, a total of 372 teachers of the subject matters on trial were selected using available sampling. Among these teachers who are implementing the new textbooks, 43.8% were male and 56.2% were female participants. Teachers having lower to higher experiences were participants in the study to gain comprehensive data. In terms of educational status also, all participants included in the sample were either diploma or degree holders. All sample teachers filled out the questionnaire and from these, twenty-eight purposely selected wellexperienced teachers comprising one teacher from each school, and each subject were involved in the interviews.

Data gathering tools
The major data-gathering instruments of this study were document reviews, questionnaires, and interviews.

Document reviews
This study intended to evaluate some textbooks (Grade 5 and 6 Environmental Science, Grade 7 General Science, and Grade 7 Social Study) in line with the level of indigenous knowledge inclusion in the new curriculum on trial by formulating relatively appropriate checklists. For wisely evaluating textbooks, checklists were prepared.

Questionnaire
To measure the status of IK inclusion in the textbooks some items in the questionnaire were adapted from the five-year Science education development project in Nunavut, Canada in 2010, and others items were developed from the reviewed literature by the researchers to suit the study (Brian et al., 2002). Examples of researchers made items include: "How do you perceive the value of Ik? To what extent IK is included in the new textbook in a trial? etc." To get responses from these participants, a five-point likert scale ranging from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree) was used.

Interviews
In order to obtain the direct participants' experiences on IK, an interview guide was used in this study. It allowed the researchers to directly pursue respondents for additional questions on the problem until the researcher was satisfied in order to get potential answers (McNamara, 1999). The information from teachers was collected using a semi-structured interview guide among other methods. With the use of this interview guide, detailed information about participants' opinions and experiences on IK was explored (Gay et al., 2009). Using this tool, the researchers were able to collect more information from teachers regarding the incorporation of IK systems in the given subject. In addition to the findings from the review of textbooks and the questionnaire, these subject teachers were expected to provide richer and more in-depth information about the concerns since they were anticipated to have greater experience and practice with the new curriculum.

Data analysis
The researchers analyzed both qualitative and quantitative data on the status of IK inclusion in the selected three sample textbooks (Grades 5 and 6 Environmental Science and Grade 7 General Science and Social Studies). The analyses of the data obtained from the book review were conducted by counting the number of activities, project works, the illustrations of graphics, and the delivery methods included in the lessons or classroom instructions of the selected textbooks. Besides, for the quantitative data descriptive statistics (percentages, mean scores, and standard deviation) were employed. The qualitative data collected through interviews were also analyzed using interpretations and text narrations.
The responses obtained from the evaluation of the three subject matters using the evaluation checklist, the questionnaire, and the interview guide were analyzed based on the status of indigenous knowledge inclusion in the structure of contents, modes of delivery of lessons, activities/ project works, and graphic organizers portrayed in the textbooks. In order to verify, the quantitative data obtained from the questionnaire was triangulated, evaluated, and presented alongside the data gathered from the review of textbooks and interview guides.

Reliability of Instruments
There were some scales, including content, indigenous responsive pedagogy, activities, graphic organizers, and teaching aids. Among others, Cronbach's alpha coefficient was used to measure the internal consistency reliability of items in each scale to check the extent to which an item in a scale measures the same construct. As a result, the reliability statistics were calculated as Cronbach's Alpha .943 for 19 items, alpha = .888 for 17 items, alpha = .886 for 4 items, alpha = .830 for 2 items, and alpha = .845 for 3 items to check the extent of IK integration in the contents, the pedagogy, activities, pictures, and teaching aids provided in the textbooks, respectively. Besides, the inter-item correlation matrix ranges from .64 to .80 for measuring IK inclusion in contents, from .08 to.77 for measuring approaches, from .59 to .78 for measuring activities, .710 for the graphic organizer, and from .45 to .82 for teaching aids. Accordingly, items were accepted and positively correlated to measure the status of the inclusion of indigenous values in the curriculum.

Validity of instruments
The instruments were given out to willing volunteers and interested experts in the field of research education in order to validate and discover whether the tools were appropriate for the goals of the study. Their recommendations were taken into consideration, and as a result, a few items such as items with lengthy words and ambiguous items for participants' responses were changed in the instruments. The total number of items was increased. The thematic divisions included in this scale also underwent some changes. These themes, like content, methodologies, activities, graphic organizers, and instructional aids, were designed with their unique items to conduct the right analysis and come up with the appropriate findings.

Procedures
The extent of indigenous knowledge incorporation in the formal curriculum was checked through the evaluation of textbooks in line with the evaluation checklists. Textbooks were evaluated using topics/ subtopics, activities in different forms, illustrations (graphics), and modes of delivery as a unit of analysis in line with the application of the theories used as a guideline in this study. It was expected to provide the initial information for the researchers to use other instruments to collect additional data from other sources.
Other instruments like open-ended and close-ended data collection tools were conducted to collect the data from teachers. Items of quantitative data collection instruments were translated into the Amharic version by the researchers and crosschecked by colleagues from the English department. This translation was made necessary to ease ways and minimize burdens for the respondents in giving responses with no confusion. The vice directors of each school provided the data on the number of primary school teachers needed for statistical analysis. All of the chosen primary and middle school teachers gave their consent to continue taking part in the study for a while.
By delivering authorization documents from each district's (woreda) education office to each selected school, the researchers conducted the questionnaire and interview activities. Three hundred seventy-two questionnaires were sent to teachers and they were filled out and returned. In March 2022, interviews in Amharic were performed and recorded, with the results being copied into a word document. Although the interview transcripts remained in Amharic, the coding and analysis of results were translated into the English version. Data were obtained through these semi-structured interview guides made with teachers. Depending on the participants' modes of expression when responding to interview questions, varying amounts of time were required. Some participants forwarded responses precisely and others the other way. The interview with one participant took between 30 and 45 minutes on average. Confidentiality of the responses and the direct quotes were kept secret and not linked to the individual participants' credentials. The inquiry employed statistical studies like reliability analysis and descriptive statistics. The percentages, mean scores, and standard deviation of the data were calculated. In order to verify, the quantitative data obtained from the questionnaire was triangulated, evaluated, and presented alongside the data gathered from the review of textbooks and interview guides to authenticate the findings obtained from different sources.

The integration of indigenous knowledge in the new curriculum
In order to measure the levels of inclusion of IK, content, indigenous responsive pedagogies, activities, pictures, and teaching aids were used as parameters of measure. Some of the measurements were adapted from a five-year Science education development project in Nunavut, Canada (2010), and some others were depicted from the reviewed literature of this study. Accordingly, the results were discussed in line with these parameters.

Measuring the status of indigenous knowledge inclusion
The results of the book evaluation revealed that there were no IK elements portrayed as contents, indigenous ways of teaching-learning approaches, and teaching aids that reflect indigenous values in the selected new textbooks in a trial. But, a few activities and pictures invited the learners to identify some IK elements. For instance, the majority of the activities that encourage students to share knowledge from local knowledge systems were few in the Grade 5 Environmental Science textbook lessons. In other words, only twenty eight out of one hundred fifty activities make it possible for students to interact with local knowledge systems.
In the Grade 5 Environmental Science textbook, although not significant, a few elements like cultural diversity in Ethiopia and Ethiopian cultural heritage (p. 103), and an indigenous system of surviving drought (p. 128) are included in the lessons. Moreover, activities for the lessons that instruct students to obtain information about a specific area (p. 10), the chemical changes that occur to matter (the procedure from grinding grains to baking (p. 18)), the traditional process for making compost (p. 20), the types of movements in the environment (p. 23), making a certain task easy (p. 31), changing the direction of energy by doing "Bekera", and information about the kinds of foods that prevent constipation (p. 42), seasonal Ethiopian production system (p. 72), traditional soil conservation system (p. 77), erosion prevention (p. 78), types of indigenous plants (p. 78), traditional wise use of water resources (p. 87), traditional wise use of minerals (p. 87), endemic animals in Ethiopia (p. 91), respecting of elders and cultural dressing, wedding, holidays (p. 101), respecting people who speak other languages (p. 103), protection of our culture (p. 107), the cultural heritage in the surrounding (p. 107), traditional system of increment of the amount of production (p. 108), speaking with farmers who tried to use both traditional and modern technology in their production system (p. 14), talking with owners of small businesses (p. 114), and discussing traditional ways of surviving drought (p. 128) seemed to encourage students to incorporate indigenous values into the lessons provided in their textbooks. Similarly, few images (about thirteen out of sixty seven) such as: using the three Ethiopian flag colors to indicate the absolute location of Ethiopia (p. 3), the type of traditional ways of cleaning teeth (p. 39), the traditional ways of preventing soil erosion (p. 78), Ethiopian endemic animals (p. 101), cultural beautification (p. 101), indigenous cultural heritages (p. 105-106), and comparing small scale and modern industries (p. 114) represent indigenous knowledge values. This is an encouraging practice.
Indigenous information was also included insignificantly in the Grade 6 Environmental Science textbook. Out of the designed one hundred six lesson activities, it was only eleven lesson activities that gave students the opportunity to incorporate components of local knowledge into the classroom lessons. To mention some, requiring the students to test acids and bases by gathering local materials (p. 29), traditional methods of isolating mixtures and decanting water (p. 32), preventing diseases that attack the skin, hair, and nails (p. 41), explaining how and when the rainbow is created (p. 55), traditional methods of preventing soil erosion (p. 81) were activities that represent IK. Finding recreational water bodies (p. 84), spiritual, cultural, and material heritages (p. 103), the nearby tourist-attractive heritages (p. 104), local practices for preserving heritages (p. 109), the nearby small-scale industries (p. 110), excursions to nearby cultural heritage sites (p. 116) and elders' advice against drug abuse (p. 122) could also assist students in connecting classroom lessons with local knowledge. In terms of pictures, only two of the pictures such as filtering muddy water (p. 33), and the processes of local alcohol making (p. 35) portray components of indigenous knowledge systems. The reliability of instruments in the main study as shown in table 1 was almost identical to the reliabilty of instruments in the pilot study as indicated in table 2. The alpha values of both tests were above the determind values.
Similarly, in the Grade 7 Geography textbook, there were also a few attempts to integrate IK elements into the lessons. The integration of traditional and modern transportation systems (p. 33), the use of mucilage (Mucha), local area material heritage (p. 68), living with others (p. 72), the traditional conflict management system (p. 75), and attempts to relate the indigenous material heritage of Harar's wall with classroom lessons (p. 113), the value of the Adwa battle and the valiant efforts of the Ethiopians to win this conflict (p. 118) some of the IK systems included in the textbook. Of course, in Grade 7 Social Science lessons there was a slight increase in the number of activities from 10% to 14.28% that encouraged students to discover some indigenous knowledge values than Grade 6. However, as Table 3 exhibited, there were little differences in the number of local knowledge elements included across grade levels.
On the other hand, in the Grade 7 Social Studies textbook, there were a few attempts (thirteen out of sixty-six lessons) made to incorporate components of IK. At this grade level, indigenous values were also included in the lessons on a minimal scale. However, only 21% of the available activities in this textbook were arranged in some way to aid students in understanding some IK systems. For instance, in unit one, traditional medical practices and the contributions of Ethiopian scientists to science and technology were included. In unit two, native gymnosperms of Ethiopia and traditional mixture separation are added. Moreover, the significance of traditional yeast (unit five) and traditional energy conservation techniques (unit seven) were other IK lessons included in the textbook. Students also had a few chances to learn about the current IK systems through the projects and activities designed in this textbook. Local architecture, medicine, agriculture, building laboratory equipment out of locally available materials (in unit one), and building microscopes and cell models using local resources (in unit four) are some of the IK-focused activities.
However, these provided few opportunities for the students to connect the local knowledge components with classroom lessons compared to the overall number of exercises available in the textbook. Regarding images representing local knowledge systems also, farmers' activities, such as separating seeds from chaff, sieving, filtering coffee by decantation, locally preparing araki (distillation), and building cell models out of local materials are some to mention. This revealed that the newly designed textbook still requires the inclusion of more context-based IK systems in the  project works, activities, and graphic representations in every lesson since the majority of the designed activities in every lesson still require the inclusion of IK and encouraging students to acquire their IK. Table 3 also demonstrates a decline in the proportion of instructional activities in natural science lessons that incorporate IK values from Grade 5 to Grade 6 (8 activities to 4 activities). Nevertheless, the percentage of activities using IK values in natural science lessons increased from 11% to 21% vertically from Grade 6 to Grade 7. Yet, this increment might be a result of the types of lessons offered at each grade level.

Teachers' perceptions on the inclusion of IK elements in the contents of the textbooks
Besides textbook reviews, data from teachers' responses on the inclusion of IK in the various contents of the sample textbooks were collected and analyzed. Table 4 discloses teachers' responses and their feelings on the inclusion of IK. Table 4, the majority of teacher respondents slightly agreed on the presence of lesson contextualization, potential benefits of contents, lessons reflecting both knowledge systems, lesson practicality, creating the learning environment to promote integration, contents' potential values in developing a sense of ownership, contents' promotion of cultural pluralism, and contents' promotion of a sense of Ethiopianism. The overall percentage of replies to the questions also indicated that 58.4%, 23.8%, and 6.5% of the respondents slightly agreed, agreed, and strongly agreed, respectively on the inclusion of IK in the textbooks. This depicted that there was still the majority of the respondents who did not have full confidence in the full inclusion of indigenous values in the textbooks. Table 5, in aggregate about 63%, 19%, and 6% of respondents slightly agreed, agreed, and strongly agreed, respectively that the new textbooks included indigenous responsive pedagogy (IRP) in their lessons, which invites elders to play roles in the classroom curriculum, integrating creativity and art, appreciating and respecting diverse cultures, permitting the classroom community to be safe and respectful, seeing issues from multiple cultural perspectives, identifying students' current knowledge before instruction, creating relationships with the locality, and team building activities. However, the partial agreement by the majority of participants (63%) and the 20% of respondents disagreement on the inclusion of IRP still indicated that there needs to be done to infuse IRP into the subjects they teach. As shown by the maximum (SD = .952) and minimum (SD = .678), there were no further variations in the individuals' reactions at these levels. This implied that indigenous pedagogic elements need to be further encompassed in the newly drafted textbooks. Table 6 depicted, 18% and 3.4% of the respondents revealed that project work, activities, and photographs included in the textbooks enable students to contextualize the lessons they are learning in the classroom. Regarding the inclusion of these indigenous values in project work and other activities, the majority of respondents, 47% slightly agreed, while 29.6% and 3% of them disagreed and strongly disagreed, respectively. On the other hand, 23% and 3.1% of respondents, respectively, revealed that activities and pictures used in the textbooks properly manifest students' ethnic, and cultural backgrounds; use a variety of multiethnic visual aids; and encourage the use and display of some words in students' heritage languages. However, 38% of respondents agreed slightly on this issue. But, still, 36% of participants disagreed that the teaching aids had these characteristics, which were specified in the textbooks.

Analysis of interview responses obtained from teachers.
Interviews were also conducted with teachers on the links between the current lessons and the IK components (project works, activities, other exercise questions, pictures, and teaching aids) in the new textbooks. In this  The same subject teacher at Dudmegn primary School in Woreta in the same case narrated that, There are a few attempts to integrate a few IK elements in activities, exercise questions, project works, and lessons. These integrations are not in a way that learners could grasp the IK elements of their own from the contents, activities, and pictures represented in the textbook. Nonetheless, there are attempts to make a few pictures showing the traditional separation of mixtures, decantation (coffee after it is boiled), and farmers isolating harvests from the byproducts.
Besides, the General Science teacher at Hibret Amba Primary School in Enemay district reflected that textbook lessons are combined with a few local traditional knowledge components. Another General Science teacher in Finote Selam also disclosed that there is no clear way to identify whether there are indigenous aspects to lessons because lessons in the textbooks do not have enough power to portray indigenous values. In general, IK was not integrated into the lessons as expected. Despite some improvements, there were not many attempts made to include local values that are easily accessible and the day-to-day life experiences of the community. It was even unclear how the integration worked. If professionals don't put in a lot of effort, users could get a hazy image.
As reflected by a Grade 7 Social Study teacher at Biruh Tesfa primary school of Debre Markos, there are a few IK elements in some of the contents of the textbook. He further forwarded his message as follows: The textbook gives students a few chances to relate the contents in the classroom to the important elements of ancient civilization and cultural and material wealth. For example, traditional association systems like Ekub and Edir, literary heroes' monuments, the palaces' cultural heritages, and various architectural works were some of the highlighted IK included in the textbooks. Students are also encouraged to relate some classroom lessons about fertilizer and soil conservation to the traditional making of fertilizer and the conservation of soil.
However, the same subject teacher at Dudmegn primary school in Woreta also mentioned that the inclusion of IK systems in the lessons, activities, and project work did not please the locals. Activities, project work, and figures are only minimally permitted to demonstrate how IK values have been included in the textbook. At Hibret Amba Primary School in Enemay, another Social Study teacher observed that cultural aspects are rarely included in the textbook. He claimed that the textbook had not successfully integrated modern educational components with IK components. When teaching about maps, for example, it is preferable to first educate about how to measure distances using span, palm, hands, and so on rather than only teaching about current map-making techniques. Another subject teacher in Finote Selam also stated that there is integration of IK, but in a very limited way. For instance, some traditional transportation methods (domestic animals) for small-scale commerce and traditional time and direction measurement (measured on foot using the "tilamot") were used in the textbook. However, teachers believed that the inclusion of IK and cultural values in the textbooks is still small-scale. This demonstrated that

Discussion
This study used a textbook review, questionnaire, and interviews to investigate the incorporation of IK into primary and middle school textbooks. The results of the book evaluation revealed that the inclusion of IK into the lessons of textbooks was not significant. The inclusion of IK into the contents, indigenous ways of teaching-learning approaches and teaching aids that could reflect indigenous values in the selected new textbooks need to be improved. As the review result indicated, a small number of activities and pictures invited the learners to identify some IK elements. The quantitative results also identified the presence of lesson contextualization on a small scale. It was revealed that IK elements were occasionally available in some of the lessons of the textbooks. Further, the interview results also revealed that there were few opportunities for the children (for example, asking for their local materials, ordering them to prepare materials from locally available furniture, etc.) to incorporate indigenous beliefs into their learning through the lessons that are offered.
Although there are good attempts here and there, the integration of indigenous values was not still highly favored in the new textbooks' contents, exercises, pictorial representations, pedagogies, and teaching aids due to the existence of the curriculum under the strong orientation of the Western culture of education.
Unlike the results of the current study, Hanushek and Ludger (2007) reported that education must incorporate what people need, be aligned with the social and physical environments, and be relevant to bring sustainable and meaningful development to a continent and respond to societal problems. Contrary to the findings of the current study, Angioni's (2005) research findings also outshone the value of African traditional education for individual political, cultural, and societal success if traditional knowledge holders are given the chance to take part in choosing both the scope and duration of the program. It has been demonstrated that different literary genres do not give much care to the integration of indigenous knowledge into classroom lessons due to the overwhelming impact of Western values on academic courses. Therefore, IK systems included were low and below the expectation. As Woodman and Bradford (1987) argued, the modern development paradigm is at odds with the beliefs of indigenous civilizations. African academic institutions adopt Western educational practices without taking into account their native beliefs (Hare & Davidson, 2019). Similarly, the results of the current study showed that the preparation of this new curriculum paid minimal consideration to indigenous knowledge. Accordingly, the results of this investigation of the current study were congruent with the studies by Woodman and Bradford (1987), Hare and Davidson (2019). The presence of a strong orientation toward these Western notions of education in educational institutions lowers the inclusion of the values of indigenous knowledge elements in the curriculum. As a result, Western knowledge systems were still influencing lessons in the new curriculum of Ethiopia.
This study also identified limitations in the new curriculum's incorporation of IK and indigenous responsive pedagogy (IRP). The World Bank (1997) observed that as the cornerstone of a nation's knowledge system, indigenous experiences and insights offer communities problem-solving solutions in a variety of activities, which is at odds with the findings of this current study. Similar to this, Freire's (1972) theory of critical pedagogy places a strong emphasis on acknowledging the local experiences of everyday people in the two knowledge systems, the importance of constructive and critical learning from the two knowledge systems, and the necessity of cultural infusion carried out through interaction with others in the development of the curriculum. Contiguity Argumentation Theory (CAT) also infers that when given equal status two dissimilar coexisting ideas such as science and IK systems can easily link with or remember one another to produce the best possible cognitive state (Meshach & Ogunniyi, 2008). Given this, although there are attempts made to include IK, the inclusion of IK in these new textbooks was still not to the expected desired.
The locals of the Amhara Regional State have experience with medical care, practices to increase soil fertility, agricultural upkeep, environmental protection, food processing, and other activities. The Region's IK systems are important for farming, food production, crop storage, and medicinal value. Thanks to their local knowledge of ecological systems and biodiversity (Heywood, 2011), indigenous peoples play a significant role in sustainable small-holder farming. For instance, this Region has people who use traditional remedies made from animals (Manaye et al., 2020). The role of indigenous knowledge in agricultural farming techniques in the Gondar and Gojjam districts [and other parts of Ethiopia] was the subject of a subsequent study by Bishaw and Wubshet (2020), which demonstrated the importance of IK in maintaining life in these areas. Maintaining traditional farming knowledge and techniques ensures food security, preserves biodiversity and safeguards the world's natural resources as a whole (Melaku et al., 2000). This can be accomplished by combining these components with a learning environment.
However, according to research by Bishaw and Wubshet (2020), the IK that was so important to these and other aspects of local people's everyday lives is not well protected in the area. Still, a lot remains to be done to record and disseminate acknowledgment of these indigenous knowledge systems. Indigenous knowledge systems are used as a foundation for society's knowledge, but because of inadequate institutional support, they are still in danger of extinction (Tigist et al., 2018). Similarly, the findings of this study also showed that much attention was not given to incorporating the local knowledge systems into the new curriculum. Hence, the new curriculum still needs improvement in order to involve the IK systems. Indigenous learning methods that emphasize relationships through observation, modeling, and practical work, the accessible visual organizers, activities, and project tasks in this new curriculum did not significantly integrate aspects of society's IK.

Conclusions
Overall, outcomes of the book review and survey results showed that the chosen new textbooks did not significantly involve the IK aspects represented as content, indigenous ways of teachinglearning techniques, or teaching aids that may reflect indigenous values. However, there are a few of exercises and images that prompted the students to recognize some components of IK. On the other hand, the results of teachers' surveys and interviews also showed that these newly designed textbooks are not satisfactorily integrating elements of the IK values in their contents, visual organizers, activities, project tasks, and pedagogies. These findings demonstrated that while there are attempts to involve some IK components in the textbooks better than the previous textbooks, however, still much remains to adequately contextualize and incorporate the IK and value systems of the indigenous people into the new textbooks.
Besides, despite the new curriculum's attempts to include components of IK in the textbooks, the integration of these elements of knowledge was deemed to be inadequate. Contrary to the suggestions and intentions of the Ethiopian education development roadmap (2018-30), which stipulated that parents and other stakeholders must feel a sense of ownership over their children's education, significant components of this new curriculum were still implied to be heavily dominated by Western knowledge elements. The results of the current inquiry also revealed that the new textbooks being tested provided the tenets of the theories and Ethiopia's new educational plan a brief look.

Implications
In light of these findings, national and local curriculum makers are required to provide convincing arguments for reviewing this new curriculum. Indigenous academics and decision-makers in the field of development agreed that it is essential to take into account indigenous education as a foundation for knowledge systems (Ronoh, 2017). Since Ethiopia is believed to be the womb of ancient wisdom, art, IK, and its home-grown (indigenous) solutions (Melesse & Tessema, 2022), it is hoped that the practice of incorporating IK into curricula and classroom design to the required level will help address context-based problems to be solved by the local solutions since "we never seek the European solution for the Ethiopian problem" (Melesse & Tessema, 2022).
Moreover, the influence of Western education needs to be critically challenged with its all consequences and the integration of indigenous and modern education has to be deconstructed by comprising the voices of all the necessary local actors and education experts (Melesse & Tessema, 2022) to properly focus on the value of IK and, of course, to properly integrate contextbased education and IK with 21st-century skills. Further, since the new textbooks are in trial, this finding of this study could help the REB to reconsider the proper inclusion of IK before the production of the final curriculum materials.
Finally, as IK is unique to different countries and contexts, the potential of conducting future studies need to be continued in other studies too in other contexts and with other materials.

Limitations of the study
Although data were collected through book reviews, survey and interviews, identifying the clear demarcations of what IK is and what IK is not in the lessons of the textbooks was a problem among respondents to differentiate. Moreover, the reluctance of some administration leaders and teachers to provide data might have an impact on the findings of the study. Besides, as the sample textbooks are in a trail, all teachers may not have the full picture about the overall intent of the textbooks and the investigation of the problems at its earliest trial stage may have an impact on the result of the study.

Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Availability of data and materials
The datasets analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.