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The Educational Review, USA

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Article http://dx.doi.org/10.26855/er.2019.06.001

Decolonising the curriculum at a university of Technology in South Africa

Lawrence Meda 1,*, Amanda Swart 2, Nomakhaya Mashiyi 3

1 Lawrence Meda is a Senior Lecturer and Teaching and Learning Coordinator in the Faculty of Education at Cape Peninsula University of Technology in South Africa. His research field is in Curriculum Studies.

2 Amanda Swart is a Senior Lecturer at Cape Peninsula University of Technology in South Africa. her research interest is in decolonisation of the curriculum.

3 Nomakhaya Mashiyi is a Senior Lecturer at Cape Peninsula University of Technology and Faculty Language Coordinator. Her research interest is in languages and decolonisation.

*Corresponding author: Lawrence Meda

Published: June 12,2019

Abstract

A good number of universities in South Africa came to a standstill in 2016 when student protests in quest for a decolonised curriculum intensified. Today, decolonisation has become a buzzword in the coutry’s higher education institutions as academics are challenged to meditate around the term and integrate it into the curriculum. The purpose of this study is to investigate ways in which lecturers decolonise the curriculum. The study was done using a qualitative case study at a university of technology in South Africa. Rawls’ theory of justice was used as a theoretical framework. Sixteen lecturers were selected to complete open-ended questionnaires. Data was analysed using content analysis. It was found that lecturers decolonise their curricula by integrating indigenous African knowledge and at the same time retaining Western knowledge in order to prepare students to be able to live and work in an international, intercultural and global environment.

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How to cite this paper

Decolonising the curriculum at a university of Technology in South Africa

How to cite this paper: Meda L, Swart A and Mashiyi N. (2019). Decolonising the curriculum at a university of Technology in South Africa. The Educational Review, USA, 3(6), 50-57.

DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.26855/er.2019.06.001