Title: The Objective is the Obstacle: A Critique of the Foundational Aims of the Colonial-Era Education System in Africa
Authors: Dr. Arinaitwe Julius, Dr. Ariyo Gracious Kaazara
Volume: 9
Issue: 12
Pages: 77-87
Publication Date: 2025/12/28
Abstract:
This mixed-methods study critically examined the foundational aims of colonial-era education systems in Africa, investigating how these objectives functioned as instruments of domination and continue to obstruct contemporary educational decolonization efforts. Employing a convergent parallel design, the research was conducted across five African countries representing diverse colonial experiences (Kenya, Nigeria, Senegal, Mozambique, and the Democratic Republic of Congo) with 450 participants comprising secondary school teachers, curriculum developers, and university professors selected through stratified random sampling. Quantitative data collected via a validated 65-item questionnaire (Cronbach's ? = 0.89) measuring colonial objective persistence across five domains (curriculum content, language policies, pedagogical approaches, assessment systems, and educational aims) were analyzed using one-way ANOVA, multiple regression, and structural equation modeling, while qualitative data from 45 in-depth interviews, six focus groups, and critical discourse analysis of 200 historical and contemporary policy documents provided contextual depth. Results revealed consistently high persistence scores across all domains (means ranging from 3.76 to 4.89 on a five-point scale), with language policies exhibiting the strongest colonial continuity and French colonial contexts (Senegal) demonstrating significantly higher persistence than British or Portuguese colonial contexts. One-way ANOVA identified significant differences across countries (F = 9.24-11.98, p < 0.001, ?² = 0.077-0.097) and participant categories (F = 24.12-33.87, p < 0.001, ?² = 0.098-0.132), with university professors recognizing substantially higher colonial persistence than teachers, indicating that critical scholarly engagement enhanced awareness of structural colonial legacies. Multiple regression analyses revealed that French colonial heritage, participant expertise, and interconnections between educational domains significantly predicted persistence (R² = 0.291-0.360), while years since independence showed only modest negative effects, suggesting limited temporal diminishment of colonial objectives. Structural equation modeling demonstrated excellent fit (CFI = 0.972, RMSEA = 0.029) and confirmed that colonial objectives directly predicted cultural alienation (? = 0.542), skills mismatch (? = 0.468), brain drain tendency (? = 0.421), and class stratification (? = 0.614), with significant indirect effects on graduate unemployment, educational inequality, and decolonization resistance, empirically validating that colonial aims created self-reinforcing systems perpetuating domination. The study concluded that colonial educational objectives themselves-rather than implementation failures-constitute fundamental obstacles to transformation, as these aims embedded hierarchies, fostered cultural alienation, and created privileged classes resistant to reform. Key recommendations include comprehensive re-orientation of educational objectives through participatory decolonial frameworks, dismantling structural mechanisms perpetuating colonial aims through systemic reforms prioritizing indigenous languages and epistemologies, and establishing continental monitoring mechanisms with accountability frameworks to track decolonization progress and build critical consciousness among educational stakeholders.