FULL NAMES:
STUDENT NUMBER:
MODULE CODE: PDU3701
MODULE NAME: PHILOSOPHY OF EDUCATION
ASSIGNMENT: 02
YEAR MODULE 2026
1
,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 pushed aside mainly through the way colonial education systems
were designed and enforced across the continent. Formal schooling during colonial rule
was shaped around European ideas of knowledge, success, and intelligence, while
African worldviews were treated as backward or unscientific. Indigenous languages
were removed from classrooms and replaced with English, French or Portuguese, which
meant that African learners were expected to think, reason and express themselves
through foreign categories of meaning. This affected how learners saw themselves and
their communities, since knowledge linked to elders, oral tradition, community living and
spirituality had no space in schools. The PDU3701 study guide explains that Indigenous
African Knowledge Systems were excluded from curricula and replaced by Eurocentric
knowledge frameworks that prioritised written texts, abstract reasoning and individual
competition over collective well-being and lived experience (PDU3701 Study Guide
2019, p. 7). As a result, African learners were taught to value Western ways of knowing
while distancing themselves from their own cultural roots, which created a deep sense
of alienation within the schooling process.
Another way African values were marginalised was through the rejection of communality
and Ubuntu as legitimate educational foundations. Education systems placed strong
emphasis on individual achievement, ranking and competition, which conflicted with
African ideas of shared responsibility, cooperation and mutual care. Higgs and Letseka
point out that African philosophy views the person as someone who becomes human
through relationships with others, yet schooling models encouraged isolation, silence
and obedience rather than dialogue and community participation (Higgs & Letseka
2022, p. 12). Moral education also shifted away from character formation based on
compassion, respect and generosity towards narrow academic success measured
through examinations. Even disciplinary practices reflected Western authority structures
that ignored restorative justice approaches traditionally used in African communities.
2
, Over time, this led to the internalisation of the belief that Western culture was superior,
while African values were seen as irrelevant to modern life, reinforcing the dominance of
Western education long after colonial rule had ended (Higgs & Letseka 2022, p. 21).
1.2 Define 'Westernisation' in your own terms and provide examples to justify
your definition. [5]
Westernisation can be described as the process where Western ways of thinking, living
and knowing are treated as the standard that everyone else must follow, often at the
expense of local cultures and traditions. In education, it happens when knowledge,
teaching methods and values from Europe and North America are presented as
universal and superior, while evidence from African contexts is ignored or undervalued.
Westernisation shapes what is taught, how it is taught, and whose knowledge is
considered valid. For example, school curricula across Africa have long prioritised
Western history, literature and scientific theories, while African histories and
philosophies receive limited attention or are presented through a Western lens. The
study guide explains that African learners were often taught more about European
philosophers than African thinkers, which weakened the development of an African
intellectual identity (PDU3701 Study Guide 2019, p. 4).
A clear example of Westernisation is the dominance of Western languages as the main
language of teaching and learning in African schools. This places learners at a
disadvantage because complex ideas are introduced in a language they may only
encounter in formal settings. Another example is the reliance on assessment practices
that value memorisation and written examinations over oral expression, storytelling and
practical demonstration of knowledge. Higgs and Letseka explain that these practices
reflect Western assumptions about rationality and knowledge, which do not always align
with African ways of learning rooted in experience and social interaction (Higgs &
Letseka 2022, p. 20). Westernisation therefore does not only shape content, but also
reshapes identity, often making African learners feel that success requires distancing
themselves from their own cultural background.
3
STUDENT NUMBER:
MODULE CODE: PDU3701
MODULE NAME: PHILOSOPHY OF EDUCATION
ASSIGNMENT: 02
YEAR MODULE 2026
1
,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 pushed aside mainly through the way colonial education systems
were designed and enforced across the continent. Formal schooling during colonial rule
was shaped around European ideas of knowledge, success, and intelligence, while
African worldviews were treated as backward or unscientific. Indigenous languages
were removed from classrooms and replaced with English, French or Portuguese, which
meant that African learners were expected to think, reason and express themselves
through foreign categories of meaning. This affected how learners saw themselves and
their communities, since knowledge linked to elders, oral tradition, community living and
spirituality had no space in schools. The PDU3701 study guide explains that Indigenous
African Knowledge Systems were excluded from curricula and replaced by Eurocentric
knowledge frameworks that prioritised written texts, abstract reasoning and individual
competition over collective well-being and lived experience (PDU3701 Study Guide
2019, p. 7). As a result, African learners were taught to value Western ways of knowing
while distancing themselves from their own cultural roots, which created a deep sense
of alienation within the schooling process.
Another way African values were marginalised was through the rejection of communality
and Ubuntu as legitimate educational foundations. Education systems placed strong
emphasis on individual achievement, ranking and competition, which conflicted with
African ideas of shared responsibility, cooperation and mutual care. Higgs and Letseka
point out that African philosophy views the person as someone who becomes human
through relationships with others, yet schooling models encouraged isolation, silence
and obedience rather than dialogue and community participation (Higgs & Letseka
2022, p. 12). Moral education also shifted away from character formation based on
compassion, respect and generosity towards narrow academic success measured
through examinations. Even disciplinary practices reflected Western authority structures
that ignored restorative justice approaches traditionally used in African communities.
2
, Over time, this led to the internalisation of the belief that Western culture was superior,
while African values were seen as irrelevant to modern life, reinforcing the dominance of
Western education long after colonial rule had ended (Higgs & Letseka 2022, p. 21).
1.2 Define 'Westernisation' in your own terms and provide examples to justify
your definition. [5]
Westernisation can be described as the process where Western ways of thinking, living
and knowing are treated as the standard that everyone else must follow, often at the
expense of local cultures and traditions. In education, it happens when knowledge,
teaching methods and values from Europe and North America are presented as
universal and superior, while evidence from African contexts is ignored or undervalued.
Westernisation shapes what is taught, how it is taught, and whose knowledge is
considered valid. For example, school curricula across Africa have long prioritised
Western history, literature and scientific theories, while African histories and
philosophies receive limited attention or are presented through a Western lens. The
study guide explains that African learners were often taught more about European
philosophers than African thinkers, which weakened the development of an African
intellectual identity (PDU3701 Study Guide 2019, p. 4).
A clear example of Westernisation is the dominance of Western languages as the main
language of teaching and learning in African schools. This places learners at a
disadvantage because complex ideas are introduced in a language they may only
encounter in formal settings. Another example is the reliance on assessment practices
that value memorisation and written examinations over oral expression, storytelling and
practical demonstration of knowledge. Higgs and Letseka explain that these practices
reflect Western assumptions about rationality and knowledge, which do not always align
with African ways of learning rooted in experience and social interaction (Higgs &
Letseka 2022, p. 20). Westernisation therefore does not only shape content, but also
reshapes identity, often making African learners feel that success requires distancing
themselves from their own cultural background.
3
