Rethinking Higher Education Policies for Inclusivity through a Decolonial Lens: A Historical and Future-Oriented Analysis of South African Education

South Africa’s higher education system remains shaped by colonial and apartheid legacies that embedded systemic inequalities in access, curriculum, and governance. Despite decades of reform, these historical injustices continue to marginalise African knowledge systems and lived experiences. This conceptual paper uses a decolonial lens to critically examine how Euro-North-American epistemologies have dominated education policy formulation, often at the expense of local perspectives rooted in African values. The analysis foregrounds Ubuntu as an alternative framework for rethinking inclusivity, emphasising interconnectedness, collective dignity, and social justice. By tracing the evolution of education policy from missionary schooling in the 1800s through apartheid’s Bantu Education to contemporary reforms, the paper highlights how inclusivity has often been narrowly framed. It argues for an expanded understanding of inclusivity that moves beyond access to encompass epistemic and cultural representation. The paper concludes by proposing a transformative policy approach grounded in decolonial thought and Ubuntu ethics, envisioning higher education as a space that actively dismantles structural inequalities and empowers all communities through co-creation and shared knowledge.