Proposals for Alternative Approaches to Education

Andah (1995) has complained that while there is the problem of adequate funding, much more important is the establishment of the “right (truly African) cultural perspective as the basis for training all students—Africans and non-Africans who genuinely want to understand Africa as against wanting to impose their own cultural purview on African peoples and materials” (157). This highlights a long-standing question regarding what a “truly African” perspective entails. Debates about decentering Western pedagogy have included proposals for ways to "decolonize the university" including a more "Afro-centric" education (also known by the name: "culturally relevant pedagogy") and land education. This section outlines some of the contributions to the question of what alternatives to a white, colonial settler model of education might look like.

This essay is part of a broader orals document on Decolonizing the African University. Additional sub-essays within the document can be found through the following links: 

Ethics and Responsibility | Colonial Policies and Practices of Education in Africa | Bretton Woods and Investments in Education for Development | Politics and Practices of the Neoliberal University | Proposals for Alternative Approaches to Education | Tech Philanthropy | Openness and Academic Infrastructures