Decolonising and Africanising the University Curriculum: Experiences of Selected Zimbabwean and South African Lecturers

The call to decolonise and Africanise the university curriculum has been a bone of contention in various educational platforms in Southern Africa as universities and educational institutions seek to provide relevant and quality education. This study sought to explore university lecturers’ experiences of decolonising and Africanising the curriculum in Zimbabwe and South Africa. The study adopted the interpretive paradigm in which a phenomenological qualitative design was employed. Informed by the decolonial theory, the study targeted university lecturers in Zimbabwe and South Africa. The lecturers were purposively selected to respond to semi-structured interviews. Five lecturers were selected from each country to respond to face to face or WhatsApp video interviews. Ethical issues such as confidentiality, informed consent and the right to anonymity were upheld. Data were thematically and textually analysed. Findings revealed that most lecturers concur that there is need for universities in Africa to move from rhetoric talk of the decolonisation and Africanisation narrative to walking the talk. There was consensus that policies have been put in place in most institutions but lacked supportive frameworks. The study concluded that while the level of awareness and acceptance of decolonisation and Africanization was high among lecturers, most universities are inadequately resourced to support the agenda. The study recommends that universities should strike a balance between local needs and international needs to cater for diversity, inclusivity and sustainability and relevant assessment models should be adopted in universities.