Title: Decolonizing the Future: Toward a Transformative Schooling Model That Solves Africa's Pressing Problems
Authors: Arinaitwe Julius
Ahumuza Audrey
Volume: 10
Issue: 3
Pages: 74-81
Publication Date: 2026/03/28
Abstract:
: This study examined the extent to which existing schooling models across selected African contexts aligned with the principles of decolonized, contextually responsive education, and sought to develop and evaluate a transformative schooling model grounded in African indigenous knowledge systems, community-centered pedagogy, and problem-based learning. A concurrent mixed-methods research design was employed, drawing on data from 480 learners, 96 teachers, and 48 school administrators across 24 secondary schools in Kenya, Ghana, Uganda, and South Africa. Quantitative data were collected through a validated structured questionnaire and analyzed using descriptive statistics, bivariate analyses, and Structural Equation Modelling (SEM), while qualitative data were gathered through semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions and subjected to thematic analysis. Findings revealed that existing schooling frameworks fell substantially below decolonization readiness on most structural and pedagogical indicators, with curricular decolonization, language of instruction alignment, and indigenous knowledge integration all recording below-midpoint mean scores. The SEM results confirmed excellent model fit and demonstrated that community integration, pedagogical responsiveness, and linguistic alignment were the strongest predictors of learner outcomes, including critical thinking capacity, cultural identity strength, and developmental problem-solving efficacy. Cultural identity was found to function as a significant mediator through which structural reforms translated into cognitive and developmental gains. The study concluded that Africa's capacity to address its most pressing challenges - including food insecurity, climate vulnerability, youth unemployment, and public health crises - was closely tied to the construction of schooling systems that centered African knowledge, languages, and realities, and recommended systemic curricular reform, teacher professional development in decolonial pedagogy, and language-of-instruction policy reform as priority interventions.