Every year from May 25 to May 31, the world observes the International Week of Solidarity with the Peoples of Non-Self-Governing Territories, designed to highlight the ongoing challenges faced by 17 territories that have yet to attain full self-government. Established by the UN General Assembly in resolution A/RES/54/91, this week serves as a vital reminder of international organizations’ commitment to self-determination and decolonization processes. Non-Self-Governing Territories are defined under Chapter XI of the UN Charter as regions “whose people have not yet attained a full measure of self-government.i

Non-Self-Governing Territories often lack in the realm of education. The quality of and access to schooling have already been addressed by the UN in the 50s: education “…the should be designed to familiarize the inhabitants with and train them in the use of the tools of economic, social and political progress, with a view to the attainment of a full measure of self-government.”ii  Current educational frameworks remain influenced by their administering authority, reflecting histories and priorities lacking cultural sensibility, denying the promotion of local social progress and the development of local civic consciousness connected to autochthonous histories and beliefsiii.

Broken Chalk acknowledges that true self-determination and decolonization go beyond economic and political measures, and they demand education as their foundational brick, as education has the power of fostering local identity and critical thinking. We at Broken Chalk highlight the need to shift academic curricula towards decolonization to celebrate, transmit, and teach Indigenous histories.

Featured photo from Unsplash by Tim Marshall