PDU3701
Assignment 2 2026
Unique number:
Due Date: 2026
This document includes:
Helpful answers and guidelines
Detailed explanations and/ or calculations
References
Connect with the tutor on
+27 81 278 3372
, QUESTION 1
1.1
African values were marginalised in education mainly through the historical
processes of colonisation and later reinforced during the postcolonial period.
Colonial education systems were designed and controlled by European powers, and
their main purpose was not to empower African communities, but to serve colonial
economic and political interests. As a result, African ways of knowing, teaching, and
learning were systematically excluded from formal schooling (Higgs and Letseka,
2022).
One major way in which African values were marginalised was through the
curriculum content. School subjects prioritised European history, philosophies,
languages, and worldviews, while African histories, indigenous knowledge systems,
and local philosophies were either ignored or treated as inferior. African learners
were taught to admire Western civilisation as advanced and superior, while African
cultures were presented as backward or primitive. This created a hierarchy of
knowledge in which Western knowledge was regarded as universal and scientific,
while African knowledge was seen as informal and unworthy of academic recognition
(Higgs and Letseka, 2022).
Language also played a significant role in marginalisation. Colonial education
systems promoted European languages such as English and French as languages
of instruction, while African languages were discouraged or excluded from formal
education. This weakened cultural identity and disrupted the transmission of
indigenous knowledge, values, and moral systems that are deeply embedded in
African languages.
Teaching methods further marginalised African values. Western education
emphasised individual competition, rote learning, and examination success, which
conflicted with African values such as ubuntu, communalism, cooperation, and
collective responsibility. Learners were treated as passive recipients of knowledge
rather than active participants in a shared learning process rooted in community life.
© Study Shack 2026. All rights Reserved +27 81 278 3372
, Even after independence, many African countries retained these Western-centred
education models. Postcolonial governments often continued using colonial curricula
and assessment systems, reinforcing Western dominance in education. As Higgs
and Letseka (2022) argue, this resulted in the continued Westernisation of
education, where African cultural preferences and educational practices remained
largely invisible.
In this way, African values were marginalised through curriculum design, language
policies, teaching methods, and knowledge hierarchies that privileged Western
worldviews over African realities.
1.2.
Westernisation can be defined as the process through which Western ideas, values,
knowledge systems, and cultural practices are imposed or adopted as the dominant
and preferred way of thinking, living, and learning, often at the expense of local or
indigenous cultures.
In education, Westernisation occurs when curricula, teaching methods, and
assessment practices are based mainly on Western philosophies and experiences,
while local knowledge and cultural practices are excluded. For example, African
learners may study European philosophers such as Plato and Descartes in detail,
while African philosophers and indigenous ethical systems such as ubuntu receive
little or no attention. Another example is the use of English as the main language of
teaching, even in rural African communities where learners speak indigenous
languages at home.
Westernisation also appears in teaching approaches that focus on individual
achievement and competition, rather than collective learning and cooperation, which
are central to many African cultures. These examples show how Westernisation
shapes education to reflect Western norms while sidelining African realities (Higgs
and Letseka, 2022).
© Study Shack 2026. All rights Reserved +27 81 278 3372
Assignment 2 2026
Unique number:
Due Date: 2026
This document includes:
Helpful answers and guidelines
Detailed explanations and/ or calculations
References
Connect with the tutor on
+27 81 278 3372
, QUESTION 1
1.1
African values were marginalised in education mainly through the historical
processes of colonisation and later reinforced during the postcolonial period.
Colonial education systems were designed and controlled by European powers, and
their main purpose was not to empower African communities, but to serve colonial
economic and political interests. As a result, African ways of knowing, teaching, and
learning were systematically excluded from formal schooling (Higgs and Letseka,
2022).
One major way in which African values were marginalised was through the
curriculum content. School subjects prioritised European history, philosophies,
languages, and worldviews, while African histories, indigenous knowledge systems,
and local philosophies were either ignored or treated as inferior. African learners
were taught to admire Western civilisation as advanced and superior, while African
cultures were presented as backward or primitive. This created a hierarchy of
knowledge in which Western knowledge was regarded as universal and scientific,
while African knowledge was seen as informal and unworthy of academic recognition
(Higgs and Letseka, 2022).
Language also played a significant role in marginalisation. Colonial education
systems promoted European languages such as English and French as languages
of instruction, while African languages were discouraged or excluded from formal
education. This weakened cultural identity and disrupted the transmission of
indigenous knowledge, values, and moral systems that are deeply embedded in
African languages.
Teaching methods further marginalised African values. Western education
emphasised individual competition, rote learning, and examination success, which
conflicted with African values such as ubuntu, communalism, cooperation, and
collective responsibility. Learners were treated as passive recipients of knowledge
rather than active participants in a shared learning process rooted in community life.
© Study Shack 2026. All rights Reserved +27 81 278 3372
, Even after independence, many African countries retained these Western-centred
education models. Postcolonial governments often continued using colonial curricula
and assessment systems, reinforcing Western dominance in education. As Higgs
and Letseka (2022) argue, this resulted in the continued Westernisation of
education, where African cultural preferences and educational practices remained
largely invisible.
In this way, African values were marginalised through curriculum design, language
policies, teaching methods, and knowledge hierarchies that privileged Western
worldviews over African realities.
1.2.
Westernisation can be defined as the process through which Western ideas, values,
knowledge systems, and cultural practices are imposed or adopted as the dominant
and preferred way of thinking, living, and learning, often at the expense of local or
indigenous cultures.
In education, Westernisation occurs when curricula, teaching methods, and
assessment practices are based mainly on Western philosophies and experiences,
while local knowledge and cultural practices are excluded. For example, African
learners may study European philosophers such as Plato and Descartes in detail,
while African philosophers and indigenous ethical systems such as ubuntu receive
little or no attention. Another example is the use of English as the main language of
teaching, even in rural African communities where learners speak indigenous
languages at home.
Westernisation also appears in teaching approaches that focus on individual
achievement and competition, rather than collective learning and cooperation, which
are central to many African cultures. These examples show how Westernisation
shapes education to reflect Western norms while sidelining African realities (Higgs
and Letseka, 2022).
© Study Shack 2026. All rights Reserved +27 81 278 3372
