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This book examines post-colonial curriculum transformation across seven African nations. These are South Africa, Egypt, Cameroon, Nigeria, Zimbabwe, Namibia, and Ghana. It investigates whether these educational systems have truly decolonized their curricula or still remain rooted in Western frameworks despite achieving political independence. Through analysis of curriculum policies and teaching practices, the authors explore educational reform dynamics in post-colonial African contexts. The book evaluates how successfully these systems have incorporated indigenous knowledge and local ways of knowing, versus continuing to propagate Western paradigms. The work provides both theoretical and empirical analysis of challenges and opportunities in rebuilding African education systems that reflect local cultural values while addressing modern educational needs.
List of contents
Chapter 1: Introduction: From Epistemicide to Epistemic Justice: Reclaiming Africa's "Dustbin Thinkers" for Curriculum Renewal.- Chapter 2: Let the "Broken" [South] African Body Speaks for Itself in Education Research.- Chapter 3: Towards a Critical Pedagogy for Fostering Critical Cultural Awareness: A Three Pronged Model for Primary EFL Textbook Analysis.- Chapter 4: Towards Confronting Cameroon's Colonial Legacy Through Textbook Analysis: In Pursuit of Decolonisation.- Chapter 5: Assessment of the Nigeria's Primary School Curriculum for the Future: Teachers' Perceptions for Future Directives.- Chapter 6: Exploring the Realities of Coloniality on the Curriculum Landscape ofGhana: A Call for Transformation.- Chapter 7: Curriculum as a Complicated Conversation in Zimbabwe.- Chapter 8: Reclaiming Curriculum in Namibia: Towards an Emancipated Education.- Chapter 9: What Happened to Us? Mapping the South African CurriculumLandscape and its Effect on the Child.- Chapter 9: Concluding Thoughts: The Way of the African is Spiritual: Towards an Inspirited Curriculum for Africa.
About the author
Oscar Koopman is Senior Lecturer in the Department of Curriculum Studies at Stellenbosch University, South Africa. His research focuses on phenomenology as a research philosophy, chemistry education, and the decolonization of university and school curricula.
Karen Joy Koopman is Senior Lecturer in the Department of Educational Studies at the University of the Western Cape, South Africa. Her research focuses on phenomenology as a research philosophy, commerce education, and the decolonization of university and school curricula.
Mutendwahothe “Wally” Lumadi is Professor in Curriculum and Instructional Studies at the University of South Africa. He has served as Director of Postgraduate Studies at NWU and Campus Rector at Westminster College of Education.
Samuel Amponsah is Professor in Open and Distance Learning at the University of Ghana. His experience includes heading the Farming Management Department at Esayidi TVET in South Africa and teaching for Ghana Education Service. He teaches graduate courses at various institutions in Ghana.
Summary
This book presents a critical examination of post-colonial curriculum transformation across seven African nations. This comprehensive analysis interrogates whether educational systems in South Africa, Egypt, Cameroon, Nigeria, Zimbabwe, Namibia, and Ghana have successfully decolonized their curricula or remain entrenched in Western epistemological and ontological frameworks despite political independence. Through rigorous investigation of curriculum policies and pedagogical practices, the authors analyze the complex dynamics of educational reform in post-colonial African contexts. The work critically examines the extent to which these education systems have managed to integrate indigenous knowledge systems and local epistemologies into their curricula, or whether they continue to perpetuate Western paradigms of knowledge production and dissemination. In doing so, it offers a theoretically sophisticated yet empirically grounded analysis of the challenges and opportunities in reconstructing African education systems that authentically reflect local cultural contexts while meeting contemporary educational demands.
