Renowned Kenyan scholar Professor P.L.O. Lumumba has issued a fervent call for African nations to dismantle colonial-era education frameworks, arguing they perpetuate dependency and irrelevance to the continent’s needs.
During a keynote address at the University of Education, Winneba, the Pan-Africanist icon lambasted curricula that prioritize Western knowledge over African ingenuity, labeling current systems as “repositories of foreign ideas” unfit for modern challenges.
“Our institutions produce engineers who cannot build proper roads and economists who cannot improve local markets,” Lumumba asserted, criticizing academic programs that glorify Shakespeare while sidelining African literary giants like Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o. He condemned the obsession with degrees over practical problem-solving, urging universities to prioritize critical thinking and innovation rooted in local realities. “Education must liberate, not enslave. We need minds that question, analyze, and dream beyond colonialism’s remnants,” he declared.
Highlighting Rwanda’s strides in decolonizing its curricula, Lumumba framed the East African nation as a model for aligning education with developmental goals. He challenged policymakers and educators to adopt bold reforms, emphasizing that Africa’s future hinges on systems “shaped by our own soil and dreams.” His speech balanced sharp critique with optimism, rallying youth to lead a renaissance of African-centered learning.
The address sparked vigorous discussion among attendees, with many echoing calls to replace outdated pedagogies with curricula celebrating indigenous knowledge. Students and faculty alike noted the urgency of Lumumba’s message as nations grapple with unemployment, infrastructure gaps, and climate crises exacerbated by skills mismatches.
Lumumba’s critique taps into a continental reckoning with education’s role in sovereignty. As African nations increasingly pilot homegrown reforms from Ghana’s coding initiatives to Kenya’s competency-based curricula the push to sever colonial ties in classrooms gains momentum, positioning education not just as a tool for individual advancement, but as a catalyst for collective liberation.
