On the Mongolian steppe, knowledge about animals, weather, land and life has traveled for centuries the same way: from an older herder to a younger one, in stories told in the ger and on the move.
Batchuluun Yembuu, writing in the International Journal of Lifelong Education, studied that tradition. The case study draws on 22 interviews with nomadic herders, their children and older urban adults with more formal education.
The study first maps the traditional knowledge of Mongolian pastoralists and how modernization affects it. It then places that knowledge within lifelong learning, as informal and non-formal education, and shows how herders use storytelling to educate the young in rural areas.
The findings point to growing gaps in how this knowledge passes between generations. Yembuu concludes that intergenerational informal learning programs belong in lifelong education, supported by incentives that encourage people to take part.
The value, the study stresses, runs both ways. Older and younger generations together pass on — and relearn — knowledge and values that are close to being forgotten.
Sources
Yembuu, B. (2021). Intergenerational learning of traditional knowledge through informal education: The Mongolian context. International Journal of Lifelong Education. https://doi.org/10.1080/02601370.2021.1967488
