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Renowned Black studies scholar in the United States (US) Professor Joyce King is recommending that school curricula in Caribbean states undergo a serious re- examination to remove all attempts at miseducation. The Georgia State University professor said this miseducation has been perpetuated in education systems worldwide, including in the US, and has contributed to what she described as a civilisational crisis. Civilisational Crisis from Miseducation
T he professor delivered the keynote address during The University of the West Indies, Schools of Education Biennial Online Conference held from 15 to16 June under the theme Reimagining Education for Global Sustainability. “I ask you to consider how your colonial past may continue to hold a grip on education and the society where you are. The curriculum must change.” Addressing the topic “Education for Liberation Using Our Ancestors’ Wisdom to Stay Human” , Professor King had other words of advice for the educators: “We need to look at our culture, go back and fetch what we are risking by leaving it behind for success defined by someone else’s standards. We remember our ancestors to deepen our sense of identity, to seek to know, to clarify, to remember, and to understand the ways our fathers and mothers carried on the struggle for integrity and freedom in their time. A more hopeful future is possible when educators
really love Black children and honour the heritage knowledge of all the children and families we serve.” The overall contribution by the Black studies scholar centred on lessons learnt from her experiences, how those influenced her work, her resistance to miseducation and what she called historical erasure and distortion. She prefaced her presentation by stating that while the 17 targets in the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals were laudable, achieving them would be difficult given the realities of Black lives everywhere. “We might indicate that education for liberation and human freedom is something that we can include in the goals of sustainability,” she said. The professor issued a rallying cry to her audience when she repeated words she first uttered publicly in 2000 and that have been referenced over time, including in the book Black Education: A Transformative Research and Action Agenda for the New Century .
“To attack the roots of our miseducation, our cultural annihilation and economic subordination, we must undo the entrenched system of thought that has justified our predicament, as history has taught us our particular wrong is a reflection of the general state of injustice here and elsewhere that calls us to action. “When we take a global perspective on these issues, we’re talking about preparing young people and teachers to realise that our struggle is a struggle for the benefit of humanity.” During the conference, many papers were presented and discussed on a range of topics, including “Re-conceptualizing Educational Leadership and Student Wellbeing for Global Sustainability” , “Breaking Barriers to Inclusive Education” , “Inclusive Education and Psychological Wellbeing Through Schools” , and “Engendering Cultural and Indigenous Practices in Education” . l
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