Master English to Reap Benefits: Vestiges of Colonialism in the New Kenyan Curriculum

• In Event: Friday Roundtable Session 11:25 am
  In Roundtable Session: Racial Capitalism, Coloniality, and the State’s Colonial/Imperial Educational Projects (Table 2)

Abstract

This qualitative study used interpretive document analysis to investigate how coloniality is expressed in the Kenyan competency-based curriculum. The Basic Curriculum document's pages one through forty-five were analyzed using the decolonial theoretical framework. Findings show that the British, who were once Kenya’s colonial rulers, international organizations, and Euro-American viewpoints, significantly impacted the curriculum. Consequently, this Eurocentric curriculum actively promotes colonialism, alienating Kenyan children. Additionally, it disregards indigenous Kenyan languages and cultures in favor of forcing students to learn the English language, which they are expected to master. The Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development, the Ministry of Education, curriculum designers, teachers, policymakers, and schools may find value in these findings.

Author

• Lyndah Naswa Wasike, Texas Tech University