Re-conceptualising Health in Physical and Health Education: An African Ubuntu Philosophical Framework

Health concepts underpinning physical and health education in Nigerian schools are predominantly derived from Western biomedical and biopsychosocial models that inadequately represent African communal, relational, and spiritual dimensions of health, creating a philosophical disconnect between curriculum content and the lived health experiences of Nigerian students and communities. This dissertation re-conceptualises the health foundations of physical and health education in Nigeria through the development of an original African Ubuntu philosophical health framework, constituting a novel theoretical contribution to physical health education scholarship and African health philosophy. An extensive philosophical literature review synthesises Ubuntu ethics, African communal health concepts, traditional healing epistemologies, and postcolonial health studies to identify the constitutive elements of an Ubuntu-informed health framework. A participatory community philosophy process involving elders, traditional health practitioners, community leaders, and teachers from six communities across the South East, North West, and South South zones validates and contextualises the framework elements. The resulting Ubuntu Physical Health Education Framework specifies six interrelated health dimensions: communal relational health, ancestral continuity health, spiritual-physical integration, ecological health belonging, embodied cultural knowledge, and progressive communal resilience. Curriculum application guidelines illustrate how the framework transforms lesson content, pedagogical approaches, and assessment practices. Consultation with 20 curriculum specialists and Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council representatives assesses framework applicability to national curriculum reform. This dissertation advances African philosophy of health education and provides a transformative theoretical basis for decolonising Nigerian physical and health education. Keywords: Ubuntu philosophy, health conceptualisation, physical and health education, decolonisation, African health framework