Decolonisation of Early Years Education (EYE) : A Case for Social Justice

Akabueze, Amaka (2026) Decolonisation of Early Years Education (EYE) : A Case for Social Justice. PhD thesis, Lancaster University.

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Abstract

This research explores Early Years Education (EYE) a field often neglected in decolonial discourse, as a critical site for either perpetuating epistemic injustice or cultivating epistemic freedom. It questions the colonial legacies embedded within Early Years Education in Nigeria and reimagines pedagogical frameworks rooted in indigenous epistemologies and philosophies like Igwebuike and Ubuntu. This research is motivated by paucity of research on the decolonisation of EYE both in Nigeria and internationally. despite the continued impact of colonial and neo-colonial projects on education, including EYE. Drawing on decolonial and feminist methodology, as well as indigenous philosophies, the research argues for a transformative curriculum that resists epistemic violence and affirms pluralistic ways of knowing. It examines how indigenous knowledge is integrated into the EYE curriculum, how EYE lecturers are engaging with decolonisation projects and the factors that are affecting the decolonisation of the sector. Underpinned by Igwebuike and Ubuntu, the research formulates a blueprint for an insurgent curriculum aimed at advancing decolonial EYE in Nigeria and beyond. Using thematic analysis, data generated through qualitative semi-structured interviews with Early Years lecturers from selected universities in the Southwest and Southeast of Nigeria revealed six major themes. These themes were analysed across three separate chapters in dialogue with existing literature and theorical frameworks underpinning the research. The implications of the findings are discussed and recommendations for future practice and policy are proposed. This thesis contributes to the debates on decolonisation in education by articulating a relational pedagogical model that values indigenous knowledges and is grounded in the learners’ socio-cultural context. It calls on educators, scholars and policy makers to recognise education not merely as a process of knowledge transmission, but as a transformative practice that reclaims education as a space of possibility, justice and care. From this perspective, the research argues that decolonisation must begin at the Early Years Education.