“We Never Discussed the Racial Aspect of it. We Didn’t Want Any Divisions”: To What Extent Have Private Schools in Zimbabwe been Decolonised?

Zimbabwe’s education system has a complex history stemming from its colonial past.When the country gained independence in 1980, what followed was a complex period of reflection on the inherited system of exclusion and division and how best to reform it.Despite the fulfilment of reforms that provided greater access to education for black Zimbabweans after independence, the basis of a philosophy of education was not completely established or achieved. As a result, there has been mirroring and continuity of colonial education structures in Zimbabwean schools in contrast to the perceived aims for a new philosophy of education. The purpose of this research is to understand how and whether decolonisation can take root in Zimbabwean private schools specifically. The research was carried out through semi-structured interviews with Zimbabweans in the field of education and analysis of the findings in the framework of decolonisation. The interviews added the lived experiences of teachers and...Show moreZimbabwe’s education system has a complex history stemming from its colonial past.When the country gained independence in 1980, what followed was a complex period of reflection on the inherited system of exclusion and division and how best to reform it.Despite the fulfilment of reforms that provided greater access to education for black Zimbabweans after independence, the basis of a philosophy of education was not completely established or achieved. As a result, there has been mirroring and continuity of colonial education structures in Zimbabwean schools in contrast to the perceived aims for a new philosophy of education. The purpose of this research is to understand how and whether decolonisation can take root in Zimbabwean private schools specifically. The research was carried out through semi-structured interviews with Zimbabweans in the field of education and analysis of the findings in the framework of decolonisation. The interviews added the lived experiences of teachers and parents to the research which provided insight from the various perspectives they have learnt and worked within the Zimbabwean education system. The main findings of the research revealed that despite the transformations made to education in Zimbabwe in the last forty-one years of independence, there is still great continuity with the British system of education which can have negative effects on the knowledge production and identity of a Zimbabwean student. There are however several reasons why these structures will continue to remain in place such as the feasibility of system transformation, the quality of the British system, as well as the silence around conversation of colonialism and the events that followed. The participants therefore highlighted that while decolonising education in private schools is essential the complexities of the country’s history, the resistance to changing the status quo and the timing, make it more difficult to achieve. Consequently, the research concluded that while achieving decolonisation in private schools may be a complicated and lengthy process, it can be made possible through reconciliation brought about by restorative justice amongst different races and generations of Zimbabwean citizens.Show less

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“We Never Discussed the Racial Aspect of it. We Didn’t Want Any Divisions”: To What Extent Have Private Schools in Zimbabwe been Decolonised?