Decoloniality of school governance in Lesotho: A Religio-historical approach

Abstract

In this work, I examined the church's continuous ownership and governance of schools in Lesotho using colonial discourse analysis. I began by underlining the power struggle between the church and the state in school management, which dates back to the introduction of Western formal education in Lesotho by missionaries. I then argued that coloniality is the cause of the church's continued ownership and governance of schools. I also demonstrated how the church's continued ownership and administration of schools has harmed the church's credibility while also jeopardising education service delivery in the country. Decoloniality is presented as a counter-approach in my recommendation. Decoloniality deconstructs and reveals the limitations of coloniality ideology masquerading as the truth of events, as promoted by both religious and secular fundamentalists. Decoloniality proposes border thinking at various stages of delinking from a mission Christian education system. Border thinking assumes a diversity of viewpoints, with religious and secular viewpoints coexisting in the delivery of public education.