Title: The Competency-Based Curriculum in Africa: Decolonizing Education or a Neocolonial Project? A Critical Analysis
Authors: Dr. Arinaitwe Julius, Musiimenta Nancy
Volume: 9
Issue: 12
Pages: 110-119
Publication Date: 2025/12/28
Abstract:
This mixed-methods study critically analyzed competency-based curriculum (CBC) reforms in five African countries-Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, South Africa, and Nigeria-to determine whether these reforms constituted genuine educational decolonization or represented neocolonial projects perpetuating external influence and Western epistemological dominance. Grounded in postcolonial and decolonial theoretical frameworks, the research employed a concurrent design integrating critical discourse analysis, comparative case studies, and quantitative survey research. Data were collected between March 2023 and October 2024 from 1,847 respondents including teachers, curriculum developers, educational administrators, and policy makers, with sample sizes calculated to achieve 80% statistical power for detecting medium effect sizes. Quantitative analyses included one-way ANOVA, chi-square tests, multiple linear regression, and structural equation modeling, while qualitative components involved critical discourse analysis of 342 policy documents and 89 semi-structured interviews with key informants. Results revealed systematic patterns of external domination in CBC design and adoption, with teachers reporting high levels of donor influence (M=4.23, SD=0.78) and international consultant dominance (M=4.11, SD=0.83), while local participation remained minimal (M=2.34, SD=0.89) and community voices were largely excluded (M=1.98, SD=0.82), with statistically significant differences across stakeholder groups (F=98.76-156.23, p<0.001, ?²=0.139-0.203). Large majorities across all countries (61.4%-85.7%) agreed that Western epistemologies dominated CBC content and that frameworks mirrored international templates (68.2%-85.7%), while only minorities reported meaningful indigenous knowledge integration (12.8%-42.1%) or use of African languages (28.9%-56.3%), with significant between-country variations (?²=59.87-102.45, p<0.001, Cramér's V=0.180-0.235). The study concluded that CBC reforms served external agendas of workforce standardization and global economic integration rather than locally-defined development priorities rooted in African philosophical traditions and cultural values. Recommendations included establishing sovereign curriculum development mechanisms with protected financing, implementing comprehensive epistemological decolonization through mother-tongue instruction and indigenous knowledge integration, and restructuring development partnerships to center African agency while rejecting conditional financing that constrains educational sovereignty. The research contributes to critical scholarship on educational decolonization, neocolonialism in international development, and the politics of curriculum reform in postcolonial contexts, while providing empirical evidence for policy debates about educational autonomy, cultural preservation, and authentic African-led development.