PDU3701 ASSGNMENT
2 ANSWERS 2026
PDU3701 ASSGNMENT 2 ANSWERS 2026
, PDU3701 ASSIGNMENT 2
Question 1
1.1 In what ways do you think "African values" were marginalised in the
educational systems on the African continent? (10 marks)
- Curriculum content: education systems often privileged European histories,
languages, religions, scientific paradigms, and epistemologies while excluding or
delegitimising African knowledge systems, philosophies, and pedagogies.
- Language and medium of instruction: colonial and postcolonial schooling frequently
used Western languages (e.g., English, French) as the default medium,
marginalising African languages and ways of knowing.
- Epistemic authority: Western scholars and experts were positioned as the
“keepers” of legitimate knowledge; African intellectuals were underrepresented in
curriculum development, assessment design, and teacher education.
- Knowledge hierarchy: African philosophies, oral traditions, indigenous sciences
(e.g., traditional ecological knowledge, agriculture, healing systems) were devalued
or treated as ancillary rather than core.
- Pedagogical models: the banking/didactic pedagogy rooted in Western schooling
reinforced passivity and discouraged student-led inquiry into local realities.
- Historical framing: postcolonial histories often still foreground Western events and
perspectives, minimising Africa’s own narratives of agency, resistance, and
achievement.
- Assessment and metrics: Westernized standards of success (standardized testing,
grading norms, and universal benchmarks) imposed, masking local learning goals
and competencies.
- Gendered and cultural biases: education systems sometimes imposed Western
gender norms and religious/secular assumptions that conflicted with African moral
and social orders.
- Institutional structures: teacher training, school governance, and policy frameworks
followed imported models rather than embracing local governance, community input,
and indigenous educational practices.
- Postcolonial continuities: even after independence, reforms often retained Western
curricula or neoliberal reforms that emphasised global competitiveness over local
relevance.
2 ANSWERS 2026
PDU3701 ASSGNMENT 2 ANSWERS 2026
, PDU3701 ASSIGNMENT 2
Question 1
1.1 In what ways do you think "African values" were marginalised in the
educational systems on the African continent? (10 marks)
- Curriculum content: education systems often privileged European histories,
languages, religions, scientific paradigms, and epistemologies while excluding or
delegitimising African knowledge systems, philosophies, and pedagogies.
- Language and medium of instruction: colonial and postcolonial schooling frequently
used Western languages (e.g., English, French) as the default medium,
marginalising African languages and ways of knowing.
- Epistemic authority: Western scholars and experts were positioned as the
“keepers” of legitimate knowledge; African intellectuals were underrepresented in
curriculum development, assessment design, and teacher education.
- Knowledge hierarchy: African philosophies, oral traditions, indigenous sciences
(e.g., traditional ecological knowledge, agriculture, healing systems) were devalued
or treated as ancillary rather than core.
- Pedagogical models: the banking/didactic pedagogy rooted in Western schooling
reinforced passivity and discouraged student-led inquiry into local realities.
- Historical framing: postcolonial histories often still foreground Western events and
perspectives, minimising Africa’s own narratives of agency, resistance, and
achievement.
- Assessment and metrics: Westernized standards of success (standardized testing,
grading norms, and universal benchmarks) imposed, masking local learning goals
and competencies.
- Gendered and cultural biases: education systems sometimes imposed Western
gender norms and religious/secular assumptions that conflicted with African moral
and social orders.
- Institutional structures: teacher training, school governance, and policy frameworks
followed imported models rather than embracing local governance, community input,
and indigenous educational practices.
- Postcolonial continuities: even after independence, reforms often retained Western
curricula or neoliberal reforms that emphasised global competitiveness over local
relevance.
