Critical Examination of Decolonisation Possibilities in the Nigerian Secondary School Science Curriculum: A Postcolonial Discourse Analysis

This study critically examined possibilities and limitations for decolonising the Nigerian secondary school Science curriculum through a postcolonial discourse analysis. The Nigerian science curriculum retains significant structural and epistemological legacies of colonial education, raising questions about cultural authority, knowledge validation, and the exclusion of African scientific traditions. A critical qualitative design employing postcolonial discourse analysis was used. Data sources included curriculum policy documents from 2012 to 2024, approved secondary science textbooks, national examination syllabi, and transcripts from 40 interviews with curriculum developers, science education scholars, and policy advisers. Data were analysed using Foucauldian discourse analysis and Fanon's framework of epistemic liberation. Analysis revealed that the current curriculum embeds Eurocentric science norms through privileged knowledge hierarchies, exclusionary assessment practices, and marginalisation of African scientists in curriculum narratives. However, spaces of curricular resistance were identified in teacher improvisation and community knowledge practices. The study proposes an original theoretical model, the Contextualised Decolonial Science Curriculum Framework for Nigeria, offering concrete entry points for indigenous knowledge inclusion without epistemic relativism. Recommendations include a formal curriculum decolonisation audit by the Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council. Keywords: decolonisation, science curriculum, postcolonial discourse, Nigeria, Afrocentric education.