Decolonising Higher Education Institutions: Start at the Top

Shafi, Adeela ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6265-5024 (2025) Decolonising Higher Education Institutions: Start at the Top. In: Innovations in Decolonising the Curriculum: Multidisciplinary Perspectives. Emerald Publishing Limited, pp. 167-178. ISBN 978-1-83608-914-8

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Abstract

This chapter explores the imperative of decolonising higher education institutions (HEIs) through an approach that extends beyond curricula to leadership, decision-making structures, and institutional cultures. The discussion focuses on university boards as pivotal sites of leadership, highlighting their role in perpetuating colonial legacies and the need for transformative leadership to dismantle entrenched power structures. The chapter situates decolonisation within transformative leadership theories, suggesting the critical conscious leadership (CCL) as a reflexive model that addresses inherent biases and drives systemic change. Persistent issues such as the ethnicity awarding gap underscore the structural inequities embedded in HEIs and the necessity for deeper interventions. The Board Diversity Toolkit is presented as an example of fostering reflexivity and inclusivity in leadership practices through using diversity as the more established relation of decolonising. Decolonising is an ongoing process that requires dismantling and rebuilding systems shaped by colonial histories. Universities, as generators of knowledge and societal influencers, are called upon to lead transformative change by challenging the dominance of Western epistemologies and fostering globally inclusive perspectives. Starting at the top with leadership, this chapter argues, sets the strategic direction for sustainable and authentic decolonisation efforts that benefit all stakeholders within the education system.

Item Type:	Book Section
Subjects:	L Education > L Education (General) L Education > LB Theory and practice of education > LB2300 Higher Education
Divisions:	Schools and Research Institutes > School of Education, Health and Sciences
Depositing User:	Charlotte Crutchlow
Date Deposited:	20 Apr 2026 13:51
Last Modified:	24 Apr 2026 09:30
URI:	https://eprints.glos.ac.uk/id/eprint/16201

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