Ubuntu and Maat on Environmental Education
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: : The global environmental crisis is fundamentally an ethical and philosophical problem rooted in a Western anthropocentric worldview. This paper argues that prevailing Western-centric models of environmental education (EE) are insufficient for fostering the deep ecological ethic required for sustainability. In response, it proposes a radical reimagining of EE grounded in the African philosophical frameworks of Ubuntu and Maat. Through a dialectical analysis, the paper establishes the transformative potential of the philosophies of Ubuntu and Maat, with their tenets of interconnectedness and communal responsibility. Also Maat fosters principles of cosmic balance and justice to provide an ethical foundation that repositions humans as part of an ecological community. However, significant barriers to integration exist, including epistemic injustice, institutional neglect, and methodological tensions between knowledge systems. We concluded by proposing a decolonial path forward, advocating for epistemic liberation, institutional reformation, and transdisciplinary dialogue to create a hybrid, and a culturally-grounded approach to EE. This synthesis contends that anchoring sustainability education in Ubuntu and Maat is imperative for cultivating the values and relationships necessary to create a more just and flourishing world.
Authors: Shey Mardonne Ngwani*, Valentine Banfegha Ngalim, Mbih Jerome Tosam
Institution: University of Bamenda
Language: English
Subfield: Management, Monitoring, Policy and Law
Field: Environmental Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
SDG: Quality education
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7109749138
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