OPEN SCHOOLING AS A VECTOR OF POST-COLONIAL EDUCATIONAL TRANSFORMATION IN THE SAHEL: TOWARDS PEDAGOGICAL AND TECHNOLOGICAL DECOLONISATION

Abstract

Across the Sahel, education systems remain profoundly shaped by colonial legacies that privilege centralized curricula, dominant foreign languages, and rigid school structures ill-suited to the realities of nomadic, displaced, and marginalized communities. These structural challenges intersect with contemporary crises — armed conflicts, climate shocks, recurrent school closures, and widespread poverty — severely limiting access to quality education. This article examines how open-schooling models, characterized by flexibility, community anchoring, and the use of appropriate technologies, can serve as transformative tools for post-colonial educational change in Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania, and Niger. Drawing on a mixed-methods approach that combines a comprehensive document review, decolonial theoretical frameworks, and findings from the 2023–2024 World Bank feasibility study, the article argues that open schooling enhances access, supports pedagogical continuity, integrates indigenous knowledge systems, and promotes digital sovereignty through low-tech and offline learning ecosystems. Results show that open schools can effectively respond to mobility patterns, security constraints, and linguistic diversity while strengthening community participation in educational governance. The article concludes by proposing a conceptual model linking educational decolonization, technological sovereignty, and pedagogical flexibility, highlighting open schooling as a cornerstone for building inclusive, resilient, and community-rooted education systems in the Sahel. The findings further underscore the need for context-specific policies, locally developed digital infrastructures, and sustained investment in teacher training to ensure the long-term viability of open-schooling initiatives across the region.