Decolonizing the Curriculum

What It Means

Decolonizing the curriculum goes beyond adding a unit on Indigenous history. It asks schools to question whose knowledge is centered, whose voices are missing, and whose worldview the system reinforces.

Why It Matters

• Truth and reconciliation: Canada’s history of residential schools demands not only remembrance but systemic change in education.
• Representation: Students learn best when they see their cultures, languages, and identities reflected in what they study.
• Critical thinking: Challenging dominant narratives strengthens students’ ability to analyze power and bias.

Canadian Context

• Provincial curricula have begun integrating Indigenous content, but often in fragmented or tokenized ways.
• Indigenous-led schools and programs show what it means to embed cultural values, languages, and knowledge systems rather than bolt them on.
• Students across the country increasingly call for curricula that confront colonial histories, systemic racism, and the ongoing impacts of policies like the Indian Act.

The Opportunities

• Language revitalization: Incorporating Indigenous languages into mainstream and alternative education.
• Land-based learning: Connecting education with environment, ecology, and stewardship.
• Shared authority: Indigenous communities co-designing curricula, not just consulted.
• Multiple perspectives: Broadening beyond Eurocentric narratives to include global and diverse knowledge systems.

The Bigger Picture

Decolonization is not about erasing what exists — it’s about unsettling a one-sided foundation and building an education system that reflects the many peoples who call Canada home.

The Question

What would it take to move from symbolic inclusion to structural transformation in Canada’s curriculum?