A reflective shift towards student–staff partnerships for inclusive and decolonial curriculum co-creation in the global South

Abstract

This article offers a reflective account of the forming of the Designing for Social Justice Partnership. The initiative comprised a student–staff partnership to reimagine curriculum, pedagogy, and institutional practice in South African higher education. Grounded in the philosophy of Ubu-ntu and Sentipensante Pedagogy, we sought to unsettle hierarchies, foster inclusivity, and co-create spaces where knowledge is relational, contested, and transformative. Drawing on participatory approaches and Gibbs’ reflective cycle, we engaged in iterative cycles of description, analysis, and reimagining, treating tensions as opportunities for deeper learning. A key artefact emerged that anchored the process: the “Knowledge Tree” and “Our Flags.” This served as compass points, prompting interrogation about the origin of knowledge, whose interests it serves, and the shared commitments that shaped our collaboration. Critical questions about role clarity, resource equity, and differing understandings of social justice and decolonisation emerged during the study. Our recommendations for forming student-staff partnerships emphasise intentional dialogue, transparent agreements, regular revisiting of roles, and conditions where dissent is recognised as care for the collective. Key lessons include centering relationships over roles, addressing visible and invisible hierarchies, as well as embracing the “messiness” of co-creation. Furthermore, the importance of grounding partnerships in local philosophical and pedagogical traditions rather than importing Global North models became apparent. This study offers a situated, evolving account of how socially just decolonial student–staff partnerships can be nurtured in post-apartheid South African universities. It invites scholars and practitioners to reimagine student–staff engagement as a continuous, relational process of learning to co-create and transform together.