Ubuntu Pedagogies as a Curriculum Practice to Reimagine Multilingualism in Higher Education Through African Communal Values

This systematic review study contributes to the ongoing debate about multilingualism in higher education. The study investigates how Indigenous pedagogies like ubuntu can be utilised as a curriculum practice to reimagine the concept of multilingualism through communal values. Rooted in ubuntu as a philosophy, the study aims to investigate the Global South perspectives that enable ubuntu as a curriculum practice strategy that can enable multilingualism in higher education. This qualitative systematic approach synthesised data obtained from secondary data. The search was informed by a research question designed through the PICo framework: "How do ubuntu pedagogies in South Africa (P) reimagine multilingualism (I) in higher education (Co)?" Data were analysed using thematic analysis. The findings extracted from the 12 articles of the study position ubuntu pedagogies as a valuable tool to advocate for multilingualism in higher education. Further, the findings reveal that ubuntu may create a learning environment that promotes Indigenous psychology and ontologies. These findings imply that higher education can be transformed to allow for pluriversity where multiple languages can be used to promote teaching and learning, and policymakers should translate ubuntu into practice rather than just a philosophy. The study concludes that ubuntu pedagogies offer a transformative lens through which multilingualism in higher education can be reimagined as a communal, inclusive, and decolonial curriculum practice. The study recommends that institutions of higher learning should include ubuntu pedagogies in the way teachers are trained, in teaching practice, and in policies on multilingual use. In addition, training should focus on discussing and applying the ubuntu teaching strategy, encouraging collaborative knowledge production

African cultural and philosophical studies · Multilingual Education and Policy · Second Language Learning and Teaching

• Multilingualism and transformation in South African higher education language policy framework

  Open Access•Sisonke Mawonga, Ben de Souza•Transformation in Higher Education•2026

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