Decolonising the curriculum: Revitalising mathematics education in Post-Schooling South Africa

Decolonising the curriculum: Revitalising mathematics education in Post-Schooling South Africa

Themba Mngomeni Mthethwa & Alfred Mvunyelwa Msomi

Issue: Vol. 7 No.7 2026 Article 29 pp. 2154 – 2165
DOI: https://doi.org/10.38159/ehass.20267729 Published online 25th September 2026

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ABSTRACT

Decolonising the curriculum has emerged as a critical imperative in South African higher education, particularly within mathematics education, where colonial legacies have historically privileged Western epistemologies while marginalising African knowledge systems. Despite mathematics often being portrayed as neutral and universal, its teaching and content are deeply embedded within specific cultural and historical contexts. This conceptual paper critically examined the extent to which South Africa’s post-school mathematics curriculum remains shaped by colonial influences and explored the potential of pre-colonial African mathematical knowledge to inform meaningful curriculum reform. Guided by African-centred epistemologies, indigenous knowledge systems, and post-colonial scholarship, the study employed a qualitative literature-based approach to analyse historical and contemporary scholarship on indigenous African mathematical practices, including counting systems, geometric reasoning, and applied mathematical knowledge embedded in social, architectural, and economic activities. The analysis revealed that contemporary mathematics curricula continue to privilege Eurocentric paradigms while overlooking Africa’s rich mathematical heritage, thereby reinforcing epistemic exclusion. The study argued that integrating indigenous mathematical knowledge can contribute to a more inclusive, contextually relevant, and socially responsive curriculum that enhances student engagement and affirms cultural identities. The paper’s primary contribution lies in providing a conceptual synthesis that bridges decolonisation theory, indigenous African mathematical knowledge, and critical mathematics education to advance curriculum transformation in post-school mathematics education. By foregrounding epistemic plurality rather than the replacement of existing knowledge systems, the study offers a theoretically grounded framework for reimagining mathematics education and promoting epistemic justice in South African higher education.

Keywords: Decolonisation, Mathematics curriculum, Indigenous knowledge systems, African epistemologies.

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ABOUT AUTHOR(S)

Dr. Themba M. Mthethwa is an accomplished education specialist, researcher, and academic leader with extensive experience in mathematics education across the basic and higher education sectors. He holds a Senior Secondary Teachers’ Diploma in Science, a Baccalaureus Paedagogics (B.Paed.) in Science and BEd (Hons) in Mathematics Education from the University of Zululand, as well as an MSc and PhD in Mathematics Education from the University of the Witwatersrand. He also holds a Postgraduate Diploma in Public Management, specialising in Monitoring and Evaluation, from Wits University.Dr. Mthethwa has held senior leadership positions at the Thandulwazi Maths and Science Academy, the Centre for the Advancement of Science and Mathematics Education (CASME), and the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Education. His academic career includes teaching and postgraduate supervision at the University of Johannesburg, University of Fort Hare, and University of KwaZulu-Natal.He currently serves as Deputy Director and Senior Researcher at the Learning and Teaching Development Centre at Mangosuthu University of Technology. His expertise spans mathematics education, curriculum development, higher education governance, research, and the advancement of teaching and learning.

Professor Alfred Mvunyelwa Msomi’s professional career spans the full academic spectrum, including service as a Mathematics Educator, Junior Lecturer, Lecturer, Senior Lecturer, Professor of Mathematics, Head of Department for Mathematical Sciences, and Dean of the Faculty of Applied and Health Sciences at Mangosuthu University of Technology (MUT). Professor Msomi’s research interests encompass two primary areas. The first is Pure Mathematics, particularly the solution of differential equations using Lie symmetry methods. The second is Mathematics Education, focusing on the impact of technology-enhanced teaching and learning, especially within higher education e-learning environments. An active scholar, Professor Msomi has published research in internationally recognised journals, including the Journal of Physics A: Mathematical and General, General Relativity and Gravitation, and several Mathematics Education journals. He has presented papers at numerous national and international conferences in both Pure Mathematics and Mathematics Education and has delivered multiple plenary addresses, demonstrating his contribution to advancing knowledge and scholarship in his fields of expertise.

TO CITE ARTICLE

Mthethwa, Themba Mngomeni, and Alfred Mvunyelwa Msomi. “Decolonising the curriculum: Revitalising mathematics education in Post-Schooling South Africa.” E-Journal of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences 7, no.7 (2026): 2154 – 2165 https://doi.org/10.38159/ehass.20267729