, PLEASE USE THIS DOCUMENT AS A GUIDE TO ANSWER YOUR ASSIGNMENT
Question 1
1. Read the following extract and respond to the questions that follow.
1.1. In what ways do you think "African values" were marginalised in the educational systems
on the African continent?
African values were marginalised in education systems on the African continent primarily due to the
legacy of colonialism and postcolonial Western influence. The imposition of Western education
systems resulted in the neglect of indigenous African knowledge, cultural practices, and values.
Colonial education frameworks disregarded African communal values, ethical systems like Ubuntu,
and indigenous knowledge systems, instead prioritising Western epistemologies.
This led to the dominance of Western ideas of education, which often painted African traditions and
values as inferior or irrelevant. The result was the erasure of African-centric perspectives from
educational curricula, further entrenching colonial ideologies of Western superiority in both
educational content and methodology (Higgs & Smith, 2022).
1.2. Define 'Westernisation' in your own terms and provide examples to justify your definition.
Westernisation refers to the process through which non-Western societies adopt Western cultural,
political, and educational norms, values, and practices. This often involves the domination of
Western economic models, technological advancements, social norms, and educational systems over
indigenous ones. In the context of education, it is exemplified by the replacement of local African
knowledge systems with European-based curricula that value individualism, rationalism, and
materialism over communal values and holistic worldviews. A notable example is the adoption of the
English language as a medium of instruction in African schools, often at the expense of local
languages, thus diminishing indigenous ways of knowing and learning (Higgs & Smith, 2022).
Question 1
1. Read the following extract and respond to the questions that follow.
1.1. In what ways do you think "African values" were marginalised in the educational systems
on the African continent?
African values were marginalised in education systems on the African continent primarily due to the
legacy of colonialism and postcolonial Western influence. The imposition of Western education
systems resulted in the neglect of indigenous African knowledge, cultural practices, and values.
Colonial education frameworks disregarded African communal values, ethical systems like Ubuntu,
and indigenous knowledge systems, instead prioritising Western epistemologies.
This led to the dominance of Western ideas of education, which often painted African traditions and
values as inferior or irrelevant. The result was the erasure of African-centric perspectives from
educational curricula, further entrenching colonial ideologies of Western superiority in both
educational content and methodology (Higgs & Smith, 2022).
1.2. Define 'Westernisation' in your own terms and provide examples to justify your definition.
Westernisation refers to the process through which non-Western societies adopt Western cultural,
political, and educational norms, values, and practices. This often involves the domination of
Western economic models, technological advancements, social norms, and educational systems over
indigenous ones. In the context of education, it is exemplified by the replacement of local African
knowledge systems with European-based curricula that value individualism, rationalism, and
materialism over communal values and holistic worldviews. A notable example is the adoption of the
English language as a medium of instruction in African schools, often at the expense of local
languages, thus diminishing indigenous ways of knowing and learning (Higgs & Smith, 2022).
