Theorising the Itinerant Curriculum as the Pathway to Relevance in African Higher Education in the Era of the Fourth Industrual Revolution

Abstract

The current era of the fourth industrial revolution combines digital, physical, and biological knowledge in ways never seen before. This revolution has resulted in disruptive technologies and trends, such as robotics, internet of things (IoT), virtual reality, and artificial intelligence (AI). The African continent is still behind with preparations for its future, through relevant unique educational practices for its populace in this era. This is because very little has changed in the curriculum content of African education, and post colonial education in Africa is essentially a colonial legacy. The curriculum is still designed after western models and paradigms, which have little or no relevance to life in Africa. This paper records the epistemological evisceration of African-centered intellectual traditions in formal education as a major cause of this challenge. Proposing the introduction of an itinerant curriculum in the African higher education sector as a viable solution to this epistemicide, this paper first argues that all bodies of knowledge(western and indigenous) are valid and significant, and should therefore be infused together without one placed as superior over the other. The study concludes that curriculum should reflect the intrinsic value of African culture, language, customs, and practices. The integration of all bodies of knowledge is the hallmark of an itinerant curriculum, should support the inclusion of a wider diversity of knowledge in curriculum theory, and practice. Contribution/Originality: This paper documents the epistemological evisceration of African-centered intellectual traditions in formal education as a major cause of Africa lagging behind in the current industrial revolution. This study further proposes the introduction of an itinerant curriculum in the African higher education sector as a viable solution to this epistemicide.

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