Towards a Decolonised Pedagogy: Integrating Indigenous Knowledge Systems for Sustainable Development in Madagascar

Current educational frameworks in many African contexts, including Madagascar, often marginalise indigenous epistemologies in favour of Western-centric models, creating a disjuncture between formal schooling and local sustainability challenges. This commentary argues for the critical integration of Malagasy Indigenous Knowledge Systems (IKS) into the national curriculum as a foundational pillar for pedagogies aimed at sustainable development. The analysis employs a conceptual and policy-oriented review, synthesising theoretical literature on decolonial education with documented case studies of IKS application in Malagasy communities. A central theme is that indigenous *fihavanana* (kinship) principles and holistic environmental stewardship practices, such as the *dina* communal governance system, provide a robust ethical and practical framework for teaching sustainability, yet are systematically absent from mainstream curricular materials. A decolonised pedagogy that legitimises and centres IKS is not merely additive but essential for cultivating an education system that is culturally relevant and effective in addressing localised sustainability imperatives. Curriculum developers should collaborate with community elders and knowledge holders to co-create learning modules. Teacher education programmes must be redesigned to include training in IKS pedagogies and their philosophical underpinnings. decolonisation, indigenous knowledge, sustainable development, curriculum, pedagogy, Madagascar This commentary provides a novel policy mechanism for curricular reform, proposing a structured integration framework that positions IKS not as supplementary content but as a core epistemological foundation for all sustainability education.