HED4804
ASSIGNMENT 3
DUE 6 JULY
2026
Assignment Task
In this assignment, you are required to develop a research-based essay
that critically examines the concepts of Decolonisation and
Africanisation within the field of education. Your analysis should engage
with scholarly literature that challenges the historical marginalisation of
Afro-centric perspectives, particularly within the philosophy of
education.
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, HED4804 ASSIGNMENT 3
DUE 6 JULY 2026
Assignment Task
In this assignment, you are required to develop a research-based essay that
critically examines the concepts of Decolonisation and Africanisation within the
field of education. Your analysis should engage with scholarly literature that
challenges the historical marginalisation of Afro-centric perspectives, particularly
within the philosophy of education.
1. Introduction
The concepts of decolonisation and Africanisation in education have become central to
contemporary debates in African philosophy of education. These ideas challenge the
dominance of Eurocentric knowledge systems that historically marginalised African
epistemologies, languages, and ways of knowing. The statement that “decolonisation
and Africanisation in education require a deliberate shift away from Eurocentric
paradigms toward epistemologies that reflect African realities, histories, and ways of
knowing” reflects an ongoing intellectual and practical struggle within education
systems, particularly in post-apartheid South Africa.
This essay critically evaluates this proposition using the lens of social justice education,
exploring how decolonisation interacts with equity, inclusion, and transformation in
education. It further examines philosophical debates such as epistemic justice and
critical pedagogy, before concluding with a critical evaluation of teacher education in
South Africa.
2. Theoretical Framework: Social Justice Education
This essay adopts Social Justice Education as its central analytical lens. Social justice
education focuses on dismantling structural inequalities in education while promoting