Beyond decolonisation: joining the dots–between the material and the epistemic in higher education in South Africa

The social movements #Rhodes Must Fall and #FeesMustFall that arose during 2015/2016 in South Africa were a direct response to structural injustices that continue to permeate higher education institutions, signalling that decoloniality was yet to be achieved. Whilst much has been written and debated about decolonisation in relation to institutional culture, knowledge and pedagogy, equal attention has not been given to decolonisation in relation to the material, such as funding which equally impacts the quality of teaching and students’ learning experiences. This article argues that universities are required, firstly, to ensure that their structural arrangements and material dimensions address institutional inequities; and, secondly, to develop radically inclusive, robust, institutional cultures as conditions for university decolonisation. It presents its argument through four propositions: that social equity and education equity are linked; while individual allocations to students have increased, funding to maintain a quality teaching and learning environment has remained static; massification has not led to equity of access to learning and outcomes and has contributed to the commodification of education; and knowledge, curriculum and epistemic access are embedded in material realities.