Indigenous education in decolonialized curriculum: a comparative analysis of national frameworks in South Africa, India, and Brazil

This study examines how national curriculum frameworks in South Africa, India, and Brazil engage with decolonial imperatives in education and promote indigenous education. Drawing on decolonial theory, the research investigates how these postcolonial states negotiate epistemic sovereignty through curriculum reform. Using document analysis, key policy texts were coded across four themes: Indigenous knowledge systems, language and identity, pedagogical philosophy, and globalization. The analysis reveals that South Africa demonstrates the most coherent decolonial reorientation, embedding Indigenous values, multilingualism, and learner-centered pedagogy. Brazil reflects a negotiated approach, balancing Freirean ideals with global standards, while India’s curriculum, though rhetorically rooted in national heritage, remains structurally aligned with neoliberal frameworks. Findings suggest that symbolic inclusion alone is insufficient for epistemic justice; structural transformation of curricular assumptions is essential. The study underscores curriculum as a critical site of resistance and calls for sustained, context-specific efforts to decolonize knowledge production in the education systems of Global South.