Decolonisation of curriculum: the case of language education policy in Nepal

Abstract

While decolonisation is usually discussed in relation to countries that were formally colonised, countries that have not been formally colonised have also faced challenges related to colonialism. In this case, it is worth considering whether decolonial theory has more widespread applicability to respond to global challenges faced in the postcolonial era. This article documents the historical trajectories of colonisation and decolonisation of the school curriculum in Nepal. Although Nepal was never formally colonised, the introduction of modern schooling in Nepal was informed by the British colonisation of India, where local languages were replaced by English in the curriculum, diminishing the value of local languages and knowledges. Against this backdrop, the Nepal government issued a series of policies supporting Nepali supremacy, but the expansion of English was not significantly challenged. Rather, the policies resulted in a double colonisation of ethnic/Indigenous languages: external colonisation by English, and internal colonisation by the Nepali language. However, significant decolonisation efforts have recently made space for minoritised languages in the curriculum. This article illustrates these colonisation and decolonisation waves, shaped by the government, local communities and other actors. Drawing on Nepal’s legislative and educational policies, the article relates language policy decisions and actions as decolonial efforts to support ethnic/Indigenous languages and explores the implications for understanding tensions around decolonisation of curriculum.

Minoritised languages, education, and technology: Current practices and future directions in low- and middle-income countries

“…The African Storybook representative noted how this cultural shift had resulted in local language experts becoming more interested in writing for children in their languages, which was in turn supported by a renewed desire and pride in some communities to preserve their languages and cultures. This echoes relevant work on linguistic decolonisation in and outside Africa, where actions are taken to challenge and even overturn the dominance of colonial languages and Eurocentric language ideologies (Agyekum, 2018;Poudel et al, 2022). In Ghana, Agyekum (2018) illustrated how linguistic decolonisation could have a positive impact on many aspects of life: for example, by normalising the use of indigenous and endangered languages in mass media, language users could learn new vocabularies as well as challenging the dominating status of colonial languages.…”

The Philippines MTB-MLE Program: Reconciling Its Utilitarian and Ideological Rationales

“…These narratives draw the line between the medium of instruction and decolonization, as expressed by Constantino decades ago, are now becoming part of the discourse in other countries, particularly in those that experienced colonization (Agbedo et al, 2012;Agyekum, 2018;Altobbai, 2020;Brinkman, 2022;Dascomb, 2019;Decena, 2014;Degraff, 2019;Iseke-Barnes, 2008;Khepera, 2020;Lemberg, 2018;Msila, 2019;Pennycook & Makoni, 2020;Posada-Ortiz & Castañeda-Peña, 2021;Poudel et al, 2022;Rashid, 2021;Rodrigues et al, 2019;Salaün, 2013;Sellin, 1991;Shakib, 2011;Smith, 2016;Thiongʼo, 1998). It is interesting to note that a consensus is being established that argues the critical role being played by the language used in formal education setup in the attempt at decolonization.…”

Decolonising the school curriculum: a special feature

“…In their analysis of students' social media interactions, the authors report finding that, unlike formal classroom spaces (where they argue that educators can fail to provide ethical spaces for decolonising discourse, interaction and learning), social media spaces offer informal occasions for significant learning about social justice issues. Poudel et al (2022) adopt a postcolonial approach to policy analysis in discussing the challenges of decolonising the curriculum in Nepal. The authors draw a distinction between the colonisation of lands and languages, which serves to illustrate how postcolonial issues continue to plague a nation that was not itself formally colonised.…”