Redefining Inclusive Religion Education in Lesotho Schools: A Colonial Discourse Analysis

• Rasebate Isaac Mokotso National University of Lesotho https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1293-5375

DOI: https://doi.org/10.7833/121-1-2026

Keywords: Colonial discourse, Coloniality, Decoloniality, Inclusive education, Orientalism, Religious education

Abstract

In this article, I revisited the study conducted in 2017 on inclusive religious education in Lesotho. The point of the 2017 study was to figure out how participants perceive inclusive religious education. The Lesotho Ministry of Education and Training's inclusive education initiative piqued my curiosity. The findings were split into two categories. Firstly, it was discovered that religious education is commonly equated with Christian education. Secondly, inclusivity in religious education was defined as offering Christian instruction to all students, regardless of their religious affiliation. The previous study, however, could not provide a persuasive explanation for why religious education is equated to Christian education or why inclusive religious education is comparable to Christian education for all students, regardless of their religious views. I wanted to fill that vacuum in this essay by arguing for a new approach to inclusive religious education in Lesotho schools. I asserted that coloniality is a legitimate premise for believing that inclusive religion education means that all children should participate in Christian education learning. I also utilised (post)-colonial discourse analysis to support my claim.  As a proposal, I suggested that inclusive religion education be defined in the context of decoloniality, which is a process of decentering and delinking from colonial thinking and action in order to embrace border thinking. Border thinking demands a new approach to inclusive religion education that is based on interculturality and pluriversality.