Repositioning indigenous knowledge in digitally-enhanced global classrooms: A South African perspective on epistemic justice and curriculum innovation

Repositioning indigenous knowledge in digitally-enhanced global classrooms: A South African perspective on epistemic justice and curriculum innovation

Benjamin Seleke

Issue: Vol. 7 No.1 2026 Article 18 pp.245 – 260
DOI: https://doi.org/10.38159/ehass.20267118| Published online 27th February 2026
© 2026 The Author(s). This is an open access article under the CCBY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

70 Downloads

DOWNLOAD PDF

ABSTRACT

This conceptual paper examines how Indigenous Knowledge Systems (IKS) can be repositioned within digitally-enhanced global classrooms to advance epistemic justice and curriculum relevance in South African higher education. A critical-interpretive conceptual design combines an integrative literature review (2013–2025), with illustrative South African cases in Technology Education and higher-education internationalisation. Sources include peer-reviewed scholarship, national policy, and scholarly books, synthesised through three lenses, epistemic justice, decoloniality, and Ubuntu-informed self-directed learning. Eurocentric defaults in digital pedagogy risk reproducing exclusions; a hybrid framework integrating IKS with 4IR tools (AI, AR, OER) enables multilingual, community-embedded, and ethically grounded curriculum design. Enablers include policy alignment, capacitation of academics, ethical protocols for Indigenous intellectual property, and South–South collaborations. Targeted actions are proposed for DHET/CHE (epistemic-diversity criteria in QA/accreditation), universities (governance, funding, digital inclusion), curriculum committees (IKS-aligned review rubrics), academics (culturally responsive, multilingual digital pedagogies), EdTech partners (co-design with communities), and funders (IKS-centred digital archives/infrastructure). The paper offers a theoretically coherent hybrid knowledge framework and a policy-to-practice roadmap connecting IKS, digital pedagogy, and curriculum internationalisation, thereby advancing scholarship on epistemic justice in global higher education.

Keywords: Indigenous Knowledge Systems, Digital Pedagogy, Epistemic Justice, Hybrid Knowledge Framework, Decolonial Education, Self-Directed Learning.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Ajani, Oluwatoyin Ayodele. “Exploring the Prospects and Challenges of AI Integration in Curriculum Delivery for Pre-Service Teachers at Rural Universities.” J. Res. Rev. Soc. Sci. Pakistan 7, no. 2 (2024): 2771–89.

Aruleba, Kehinde, and Nobert Jere. “Exploring Digital Transforming Challenges in Rural Areas of South Africa through a Systematic Review of Empirical Studies.” Scientific African 16 (2022): e01190.

Baker, Sally, Joel Anderson, Rachel Burke, Teresa De Fazio, Clemence Due, Lisa Hartley, Tebeje Molla, Carolina Morison, William Mude, and Loshini Naidoo. “Equitable Teaching for Cultural and Linguistic Diversity: Exploring the Possibilities for Engaged Pedagogy in Post-COVID-19 Higher Education.” Educational Review 74, no. 3 (2022): 444–59.

Blose, Princess, and Elliot C Ndlovu. “Enabling Indigenous Knowledge Systems in Action Research and Action Learning: How IKS Co-Exist in the Field of Technology Education.” In Enabling Indigenous Knowledge Systems in Action Research and Action Learning, 129–50. IGI Global Scientific Publishing, 2025.

Botha, Izelque, and Danitza Klopper. “Navigating Change: A Journey through Curriculum Review.” South African Geographical Journal, 2025, 1–16.

Buelow, Franca, Jade Gibson, Nina Vargoczky, Ann Brower, and Amanda Black. “Promoting Diversity of Thought: Bridging Knowledge Systems for a Pluriverse Approach to Research.” Earth Science, Systems and Society 5, no. 1 (2025): esss2024-006.

Chasokela, Doris, and Lungisani Mpofu. “Strategies for Using Online Education in Support of Global Contexts.” In Best Practices and Strategies for Online Instructors: Insights From Higher Education Online Faculty, 41–72. IGI Global Scientific Publishing, 2025.

Chirima, Robert. “Harnessing Digital Technologies to Preserve and Promote Indigenous Knowledge Systems in Africa.” International Journal of Innovative Science and Research Technology, June 12, 2025, 4411–16. https://doi.org/10.38124/ijisrt/25may1906.

Cotte, Jonathan. “The Implementation of Development Technologies and the Future of Drones: The Way Forward with Sustainable Technological Solutions through a Focus on Drones and the SDGs,” 2021.

Deredzai, Memory, and Pedzisai Goronga. “Contemporary Approaches to Internationalization in Higher Education: Global Alliances for Academic Excellence-Strategies for Cultivating Enduring International Partners.” In Contemporary Approaches to Internationalization in Higher Education, 95–124. IGI Global Scientific Publishing, 2025.

DHET. “ White Paper for Post-School Education and Training. Building an Expanded, Effective and Integrated Post-School System.,” 2013.

Efthymiou, Iris-Panagiota. “Integrating Indigenous Media for Educational Progress: Merging Traditional Knowledge With Modern Curricula.” In Indigenous Teaching Disciplines and Perspectives for Higher Education, 285–308. IGI Global Scientific Publishing, 2025.

Fitzpatrick, Noel, Paul Hayes, Jan Cornelius Schmidt, Ester Toribio-Roura, Ceri Almrott, Camila D’Bastiani, Dominik Gager, Gerald Gallagher, Paul Grimm, and Alessandra Sannella. “Policy Recommendations for Higher Education Institutions to Begin Advancing from Digital Transformation to Bifurcation.” NanoEthics 19, no. 2 (2025): 10.

Fricker, Miranda. Epistemic Injustice: Power and the Ethics of Knowing. Oxford university press, 2007.

———. “Evolving Concepts of Epistemic Injustice.” In The Routledge Handbook of Epistemic Injustice, 53–60. Routledge, 2017.

Gumbo, Mishack T, Christopher B Knaus, and Velisiwe G Gasa. “Decolonising the African Doctorate: Transforming the Foundations of Knowledge.” Higher Education 88, no. 4 (2024): 1611–27.

Hutson, James. The Rise of AI in Academic Inquiry. IGI Global, 2024.

Hwami, Munyaradzi, and Michelle Bedeker. “Reimagining Representation and Recognition of the ‘Other’ in International Higher Education (IHE): Towards Epistemic Justice.” In Second International Handbook of Educational Leadership and Social (In) Justice: Critical Perspectives, 1–28. Springer, 2025.

Jones, Elspeth, Betty Leask, Uwe Brandenburg, and Hans De Wit. “Global Social Responsibility and the Internationalisation of Higher Education for Society.” Journal of Studies in International Education 25, no. 4 (2021): 330–47.

Kassaye, Woube. “Conceptualization of Curriculum in Africa.” In Modern Education in Africa Vol. 2: Curriculum Development of Ethiopia, 187–284. Springer, 2025.

Kelly, Mario Antonio. “Bridging Digital and Cultural Divides: TPCK for Equity of Access to Technology.” In Handbook of Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPCK) for Educators, 41–68. Routledge, 2014.

Knowles, Malcolm Shepherd. Self-Directed Learning. Vol. 291. association press New York, 1975.

Lake, Danielle, Wen Guo, Elizabeth Chen, and Jacqui McLaughlin. “Design Thinking in Higher Education: Opportunities and Challenges for Decolonized Learning.” Teaching and Learning Inquiry 12 (2024): 1–22.

Liang, Siyin. “Curriculum Internationalization: Aligned with Equity and Social Justice? Considerations and Perceptions from International Graduate Students in Canada.” Journal of Comparative and International Higher Education 17, no. 2 (2025): 143–58.

Mahajan, Prashant. “What Is Ethical: AIHED Driving Humans or Human-Driven AIHED? A Conceptual Framework Enabling the Ethos of AI-Driven Higher Education.” ArXiv Preprint ArXiv:2503.04751, 2025.

Makananise, Fulufhelo Oscar, and Shumani Eric Madima. Decolonising Digital Media and Indigenisation of Participatory Epistemologies. Routledge, 2025.

Maleka, S, and Catherine Maidi. “The Societal Implications of Technological Innovations and AI in South Africa.” Apr, 2024.

Memon, Farhat Naureen, and Sarwat Naureen Memon. “Digital Divide and Equity in Education: Bridging Gaps to Ensure Inclusive Learning.” In Impact of Digitalization on Education and Social Sustainability, 107–30. IGI Global, 2025.

Mignolo, Walter D. “Coloniality of Power and De-Colonial Thinking-Introduction.” Cultural Studies 21, no. 2–3 (March 3, 2007): 155–67. https://doi.org/10.1080/09502380601162498.

Msekelwa, Patrick Zingisa. “Beyond the Borders Global Collaboration in Open Distance Education through Virtual Exchanges.” Journal of Knowledge Learning and Science Technology ISSN: 2959-6386 (Online) 2, no. 2 (2023): 1–13.

Musarurwa, Charles, Mildred Ziweya, Wilfred Lunga, Annah Moyo, Caiphus Baloyi, and Jane M Kaifa. “Leveraging Indigenous Knowledge for Strengthening Respiratory and Immune Health Responses: Lessons from BRICS and SADC Member States During Global Health Crises,” 2025.

Mwansa, Gardner, Matipa Ricky Ngandu, and Zolisa Mkwambi. “Bridging the Digital Divide: Exploring the Challenges and Solutions for Digital Exclusion in Rural South Africa.” Discover Global Society 3, no. 1 (2025): 54.

Nanduri, Dinesh Kumar. “Exploring the Role of Generative Artificial Intelligence in Culturally Relevant Storytelling for Native Language Learning Among Children.” University of Maryland, 2024.

Ncube, Mpumelelo Ennocent. “Towards a Decolonial Higher Education: Praxis and Theoretical Foundations.” African Journal of Inter/Multidisciplinary Studies 7, no. 1 (2025): 1–15.

Ndlovu-Gatsheni, Sabelo J. Coloniality of Power in Postcolonial Africa. African Books Collective, 2013.

———. “Internationalisation of Higher Education for Pluriversity: A Decolonial Reflection.” Journal of the British Academy 9, no. 1 (2021): 77–98.

Ndlovu-Gatsheni, Sabelo J, and Katharina Schramm. “Thinking as Moving—Knowledge Practices and Decolonial Frames in African Studies.” Knowing—Unknowing: African Studies at the Crossroads, 2025, 1–27.

Odora Hoppers, C. “Research on Indigenous Knowledge Systems: The Search for Cognitive Justice.” International Journal of Lifelong Education 40, no. 4 (2021): 310–27.

Oubkkou, Abdelkarim. “Building Global Bridges and Fostering Global Competence: The Role of Multicultural Education in Higher Education Institutions.” In Internationalization of Higher Education and Digital Transformation: Insights from Morocco and Beyond, 69–87. Springer, 2025.

Peschl, Markus F, and Thomas Fundneider. “Designing and Enabling Spaces for Collaborative Knowledge Creation and Innovation: From Managing to Enabling Innovation as Socio-Epistemological Technology.” Computers in Human Behavior 37 (2014): 346–59.

R’boul, Hamza. “Postcolonial Interventions in Intercultural Communication Knowledge: Meta-Intercultural Ontologies, Decolonial Knowledges and Epistemological Polylogue.” Journal of International and Intercultural Communication 15, no. 1 (2022): 75–93.

Roger, Helen. “Beyond the Obvious: A Practice Oriented Investigation into Blended Learning Cultures of Creative Subjects in the University of Highlands and Islands.” University of Dundee, 2023.

Seleke, B, C J Els, and J De Beer. “Utilising Indigenous Knowledge in Higher Education for the Professional Development of Culturally Responsive Technology Teachers.” A Scholarly Approach to Student Success in Higher Education. Ivyline Academic Publishers, 2019.

Seleke, Benjamin. “Scaffolding Teachers’ Professional Development for the Infusion of Indigenous Knowledge Transfer in the Technology Classroom.” North-West University (South Africa), 2021.

Seleke, Benjamin, Marietjie Havenga, and Josef De Beer. “The Enhancement of Self-Directed Learning through the Engagement in Problem-Based Learning Activities during a Professional Development Programme on Indigenous Knowledge for Technology Teachers.” In Proceedings of Teaching and Education Conferences. International Institute of Social and Economic Sciences, 2019.

Seleke, Benjamin, and Nixon J P Teis. “Bridging the Digital Divide: Integrating Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) Technologies in TVET for Enhanced Youth Skilling and Employability in South Africa.” TWIST 20, no. 2 (2025): 441–52.

Seleke, Benjamin, Nixon J P Teis, Christo J Els, and Glen Legodu. “Indigenous Knowledge Integration in South Africa’s Technology Education Curriculum: Current Status, Challenges, and Future Directions.” Journal of Education and Learning Technology 6, no. 1 (2025): 130–38.

Seleke, Benjamin, Nixon J P Teis, Nomasomi Matiso, Xoliswa Magxala, and Faith Hlungulu. “Revitalizing Teacher Development Programs for Indigenous African Languages at a South African University: Insights from Qualitative Research.” TWIST 20, no. 1 (2025): 258–73.

Sibanda, M. “‘Data Reliability Issues in At-Risk Student Identification Systems.’ .” African Journal of Higher Education 30, no. 1 (2024): 75–88.

Silva-Ávila, Patricio, Jorge Rojas Hernández, and Ricardo O Barra. “Traditional Ecological Knowledge and Socio-Ecological Resilience in Chilean Agroecosystems: A Comparative Analysis of Transformative Adaptation Dimensions,” 2025.

Spieler, Kristin Severinsen, Anne Karin Vikstøl Olsen, and Randi Engtrø. “Intercultural Dialogue on Indigenous Perspectives: A Digital Learning Experience.” Education Sciences 15, no.5(2025): 615.

Subrahmanyam, Satya. “Trustworthiness in Qualitative Research in the Aviation Industry.” In Qualitative Research Methods in Air Transport Management, 123–52. IGI Global Scientific Publishing, 2025.

Suntharalingam, Panchalingam. “Internationalisation of Higher Education: Mission and Concerns.” In Navigating Quality Assurance and Accreditation in Global Higher Education, 407–34. IGI Global Scientific Publishing, 2025.

Tarisayi, Kudzayi Savious. “Theoretical Foundations of Internationalisation and Sustainable Development in Higher Education.” Internationalisation of Higher Education for Sustainable Development: A Southern African Perspective 22 (2025): 4.

Themelis, Spyros. The Pedagogy of Radical Change: Social Movements, Resistance and Alternative Futures in Higher Education and Society. Bloomsbury Publishing, 2025.

Tuitt, Frank, Chayla Haynes, and Saran Stewart. Race, Equity, and the Learning Environment: The Global Relevance of Critical and Inclusive Pedagogies in Higher Education. Taylor & Francis, 2023.

Veronese, G, and A Kagee. “Interrogates the Complicity of Psychology in Colonial Violence While Advancing a Fanonian and Freirean Framework That Centres Political Consciousness, Collective Struggle, and Transformative Action.” In Contensting Borders. Book of Abstracts, 2025.

Won, Daehyun. “Teaching Digital-Multimodal Composition for Digital-Born Students: Exploring Pedagogical Applications of Interactive Narrative Media,” 2023.

Zongozzi, Johannes N, and Sindile A Ngubane. “Equitable Access to Digital Higher Education for Students with Disabilities in South Africa.” African Journal of Disability 14 (2025): 1525.

ABOUT AUTHOR(S)

Dr Benjamin Seleke is a Senior Lecturer in the Faculty of Education at Walter Sisulu University,South Africa, where he coordinates Work-Integrated Learning (Dip ACET) and contributes to curriculum development and academic leadership. His scholarship spans Indigenous Knowledge Systems, Technology Education, the Fourth Industrial Revolution, Self-Directed Learning, and decolonial approaches to teaching and learning. He supervises postgraduate research, presents at local and international conferences, and publishes on teacher preparation, WIL, and curriculum innovation aligned to national and continental frameworks (SDG 4, NDP 2030, AU Agenda 2063). Beyond academia, he is an active mentor and community-engaged scholar committed to equitable, context-responsive education.

TO CITE ARTICLE

Seleke, Benjamin. “Repositioning indigenous knowledge in digitally-enhanced global classrooms: A South African perspective on epistemic justice and curriculum innovation.” E-Journal of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences 7, no.1 (2026): 245 – 260. https://doi.org/10.38159/ehass.20267118