Decolonising ourselves

What Is Decolonial Education?

In many parts of the world, education systems still reflect the values, perspectives, and power structures of their colonial past. Decolonial education asks a fundamental question: What if the way we’ve been taught to understand the world is only one version—and not the whole story?

Decolonial education challenges the idea that Western knowledge is neutral, superior, or universal. It opens up space for diverse worldviews, histories, and knowledge systems that have been ignored, silenced, or erased.

Why the Colonial Past Still Shapes Our Education

From school curricula to university frameworks, much of what is taught today was shaped during European colonial expansion. These systems often marginalised Indigenous, African, Asian, and other knowledge traditions, replacing them with Eurocentric models.

This isn’t just a history lesson—it’s a present reality. Students across the globe still learn in ways that centre Europe and the West while presenting other cultures as secondary or 'alternative'.

Eurocentrism: The Hidden Curriculum

Eurocentrism is the tendency to interpret the world through European values and experiences. In education, this looks like:

• History focusing on colonial “exploration” without addressing conquest and resistance

• Business and economics taught through Western capitalist frameworks

• Scientific knowledge treated as objective, while other traditions are dismissed as myth or folklore

Decolonial education doesn’t reject European ideas—it simply insists that they are one set among many. It asks for equity in how we recognise and value knowledge.

Unlearning and Relearning

A central idea of decolonial education is that learning often begins with unlearning. This means:

• Questioning what we take for granted

• Re-evaluating who we trust as knowledge producers

• Creating space for voices, experiences, and epistemologies that have been marginalised

This process helps us rethink everything from school subjects to leadership principles, from cultural assumptions to international development strategies.

Why This Matters for Business, Politics, and Society

The influence of colonial thinking isn’t limited to classrooms. In business, for example:

• “Best practices” often come from the West and may overlook local wisdom or ethics

• Global leadership models tend to reflect Western individualism and hierarchy

• Market expansion strategies can unintentionally replicate colonial power dynamics

A decolonial mindset can lead to more ethical, inclusive, and context-sensitive decision-making—whether you're in education, business, or public service.

Toward a Pluriversal Future

Decolonial education doesn’t aim to replace one dominant system with another. Instead, it invites pluriversality—a world where many worldviews coexist in dialogue, without one being forced to dominate.

Imagine classrooms that teach science alongside Indigenous environmental knowledge. Or leadership programmes that include Afro-Caribbean philosophy and South Asian ethics. This isn’t about cultural tokenism—it’s about rebuilding education to serve justice, relevance, and shared humanity.

Final Thought: Education That Truly Reflects the World

Decolonial education is more than a theory—it’s a movement. A movement toward an education that reflects the world as it really is: complex, diverse, and deeply interconnected.

In embracing this approach, we are not abandoning rigour or objectivity. We are simply recognising that no single culture holds all the answers. And that learning from each other—on equal terms—is the beginning of real understanding.