,PDU3701 Assignment 2 2026
Due Date: 2026
QUESTION 1
1.1 In what ways do you think “African values” were marginalised in the educational systems
on the African continent? [10]
African values were marginalised in education systems through the deliberate imposition of
Eurocentric knowledge systems during both the colonial and postcolonial eras. One major
mechanism of marginalisation was the replacement of indigenous knowledge systems with
Western epistemologies, where African ways of knowing—such as oral traditions, storytelling,
communal learning, and indigenous ecological knowledge—were dismissed as “informal” or
“unscientific” (Higgs and Letseka, 2024). This resulted in a curriculum that privileged European
history, literature, and philosophy while erasing or minimising African intellectual traditions.
Secondly, language played a central role in this marginalisation. Colonial education systems
enforced European languages such as English, French, and Portuguese as the primary mediums of
instruction. This not only disadvantaged learners who were not fluent in these languages but also
undermined African languages as legitimate carriers of knowledge. As a result, African learners
were forced to interpret their realities through foreign linguistic frameworks, weakening the
transmission of cultural identity and values.
Furthermore, African communal values such as Ubuntu, which emphasises collective
responsibility, solidarity, and interdependence, were undermined by Western individualistic
ideologies embedded in schooling systems. Education was structured to produce individual
achievement and competition rather than communal upliftment. This shift altered learners’ social
orientation and weakened traditional African ethical frameworks.
, Additionally, the epistemic authority of African elders, traditional leaders, and community
knowledge holders was displaced by formal Western-trained educators and institutions.
Knowledge became centralised in schools and universities modelled on European systems,
reducing the role of community-based education.
Overall, the marginalisation of African values occurred through curriculum design, language
policy, epistemic exclusion, and institutional restructuring that collectively privileged Western
knowledge systems while devaluing African cultural and intellectual heritage (Higgs and Letseka,
2024).
1.2 Define ‘Westernisation’ in your own terms and provide examples to justify your definition.
[5]
Westernisation can be defined as the process through which Western cultural, political,
economic, and epistemological systems become dominant in non-Western societies, often
replacing or subordinating indigenous ways of life and knowledge systems. In education,
Westernisation refers specifically to the adoption of Western curricula, teaching methods,
languages, and philosophical assumptions as universal standards of knowledge.
For example, in many African universities, philosophy courses traditionally focus heavily on
European thinkers such as Plato, Descartes, and Kant, while African philosophers like Kwasi
Wiredu or Henry Odera Oruka are often treated as optional or peripheral. Another example is the
use of Western scientific frameworks as the only valid form of knowledge, while indigenous
knowledge systems—such as traditional healing practices or indigenous agricultural methods—
are often excluded from formal curricula.
A further example is the continued dominance of English as the primary language of instruction in
South African higher education institutions, even in contexts where it is not the first language of
most students. This reinforces linguistic hierarchy and privileges Western cultural capital over
Due Date: 2026
QUESTION 1
1.1 In what ways do you think “African values” were marginalised in the educational systems
on the African continent? [10]
African values were marginalised in education systems through the deliberate imposition of
Eurocentric knowledge systems during both the colonial and postcolonial eras. One major
mechanism of marginalisation was the replacement of indigenous knowledge systems with
Western epistemologies, where African ways of knowing—such as oral traditions, storytelling,
communal learning, and indigenous ecological knowledge—were dismissed as “informal” or
“unscientific” (Higgs and Letseka, 2024). This resulted in a curriculum that privileged European
history, literature, and philosophy while erasing or minimising African intellectual traditions.
Secondly, language played a central role in this marginalisation. Colonial education systems
enforced European languages such as English, French, and Portuguese as the primary mediums of
instruction. This not only disadvantaged learners who were not fluent in these languages but also
undermined African languages as legitimate carriers of knowledge. As a result, African learners
were forced to interpret their realities through foreign linguistic frameworks, weakening the
transmission of cultural identity and values.
Furthermore, African communal values such as Ubuntu, which emphasises collective
responsibility, solidarity, and interdependence, were undermined by Western individualistic
ideologies embedded in schooling systems. Education was structured to produce individual
achievement and competition rather than communal upliftment. This shift altered learners’ social
orientation and weakened traditional African ethical frameworks.
, Additionally, the epistemic authority of African elders, traditional leaders, and community
knowledge holders was displaced by formal Western-trained educators and institutions.
Knowledge became centralised in schools and universities modelled on European systems,
reducing the role of community-based education.
Overall, the marginalisation of African values occurred through curriculum design, language
policy, epistemic exclusion, and institutional restructuring that collectively privileged Western
knowledge systems while devaluing African cultural and intellectual heritage (Higgs and Letseka,
2024).
1.2 Define ‘Westernisation’ in your own terms and provide examples to justify your definition.
[5]
Westernisation can be defined as the process through which Western cultural, political,
economic, and epistemological systems become dominant in non-Western societies, often
replacing or subordinating indigenous ways of life and knowledge systems. In education,
Westernisation refers specifically to the adoption of Western curricula, teaching methods,
languages, and philosophical assumptions as universal standards of knowledge.
For example, in many African universities, philosophy courses traditionally focus heavily on
European thinkers such as Plato, Descartes, and Kant, while African philosophers like Kwasi
Wiredu or Henry Odera Oruka are often treated as optional or peripheral. Another example is the
use of Western scientific frameworks as the only valid form of knowledge, while indigenous
knowledge systems—such as traditional healing practices or indigenous agricultural methods—
are often excluded from formal curricula.
A further example is the continued dominance of English as the primary language of instruction in
South African higher education institutions, even in contexts where it is not the first language of
most students. This reinforces linguistic hierarchy and privileges Western cultural capital over
