The School of Pan African Studies (the “School”) is committed to fostering an environment that is inclusive, equitable, and genuinely welcoming to the diverse global community we serve. Our website is panafricanstudies.net. Our mission is rooted in epistemic justice and the decolonisation of higher education. We believe educational excellence requires actively challenging Eurocentric assumptions and ensuring Africa is treated as a primary ontological and intellectual base (not an “add-on”).

 

This policy sets out how we promote equality, value diversity, and build inclusion across our learning community—students, staff, contractors, and partners—so everyone is treated with dignity and respect. We aim to transform the African Diaspora and continental professionals into a specialised vanguard for development through a curriculum that honours African knowledge systems and advances Pan-African thought.

 

This policy applies to all aspects of the School’s operations, including:

 

• Recruitment and admissions of students.
• Recruitment, selection, and professional development of staff and faculty.
• Curriculum design and pedagogical delivery.
• Research commissions and policy entrepreneurship initiatives.
• Interactions with external partners, contractors, and the wider public.

 

The School operates in accordance with the Equality Act 2010 and the regulatory requirements and expectations set by the Office for Students (OfS). Our approach to compliance is expressed through a Decolonial Equity framework: we meet our legal obligations while also taking proactive steps to dismantle structural and epistemic exclusions that have historically marginalised African peoples, African-descended communities, and African knowledge systems in education and professional development.

 

Where the School is exercising functions that are treated as “public functions” for the purpose of UK equality law (including as they apply to higher education providers), we will have due regard to the Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED) under section 149 of the Equality Act 2010. In practice, that means we will actively work to:

 

• eliminate unlawful discrimination, harassment, and victimisation;
• advance equality of opportunity between people who share a protected characteristic and those who do not; and
• foster good relations between people who share a protected characteristic and those who do not.

 

3.1 The Protected Characteristics

 

We prohibit discrimination, harassment, and victimisation relating to any of the following protected characteristics:

 

• Age
• Disability
• Gender reassignment
• Marriage and civil partnership
• Pregnancy and maternity
• Race (including colour, nationality, and ethnic or national origin)
• Religion or belief (including philosophical belief, such as sincerely held beliefs related to Pan-Africanism and decolonial theory)
• Sex
• Sexual orientation

 

4.1 Epistemic Justice

 

The School is dedicated to epistemic justice—the fair treatment of all knowledge systems. We actively work to restore legitimacy, visibility, and application to African knowledge systems by addressing the historical marginalisation of African scholarship and ensuring our professional certificates and research initiatives are grounded in African philosophy, politics, and economics.

4.2 Decolonial Equity and Inclusion

 

Our curriculum is intentionally decolonised. We move beyond traditional Western-centric models to provide industry-aligned education that centres African self-determination and Pan-African geopolitical objectives.

 

Inclusion, for us, also means ensuring students can see their heritage, communities, and intellectual traditions represented with seriousness and depth. Practically, we do this by:

• designing curricula that centre African thinkers, histories, philosophies, economies, and political projects as core (not optional);
• critically contextualising Euro-American frameworks rather than treating them as universal defaults;
• making space for multiple African perspectives (continental and Diasporic), languages, and lived experiences; and
• supporting open, respectful academic debate (including debate grounded in Pan-Africanism and decolonial theory as protected philosophical beliefs, where applicable) while maintaining clear standards of professional conduct.

 

4.3 Support for the Diaspora and “Brain Gain”

 

We recognize the unique challenges and opportunities facing the African Diaspora. Our EDI framework includes a specific commitment to facilitating “brain gain,” providing the Diaspora with the specialized knowledge required to impact continental development and participate in the political project of Pan-Africanism.

 

5.1 Access and Participation

 

The School strives to remove barriers to education. We ensure our online graduate and professional programs are accessible to a global audience, particularly those in the Diaspora and on the African continent who seek to innovate within public and private sectors.

 

5.2 Inclusive Curriculum

 

Every course—from African Economic Thought to the Sociology of Africa—is reviewed to ensure it promotes diversity of thought within the Pan-African framework. We ensure that teaching materials are accessible and reflect the lived experiences of our target demographics.

 

5.3 Accessibility (Digital Learning)

 

Because we teach online, accessibility is a core part of inclusion. We are committed to making our digital learning environment usable by as many people as possible, including students with disabilities. This includes, where reasonably practicable:

 

• providing learning materials in accessible formats (e.g., readable PDFs/HTML, structured documents, accessible slide decks);
• using captions/transcripts for recorded sessions where available and appropriate;
• designing learning activities with accessibility in mind (e.g., colour contrast, readable fonts, clear navigation);
• offering reasonable adjustments to support disabled students to participate and demonstrate learning outcomes; and
• signposting students to appropriate support routes and working collaboratively to identify practical solutions.

 

5.4 Recruitment and Progression (Staff and Students)

 

The School is committed to fairness and transparency in both student admissions and staff recruitment, selection, and progression. We will:

• use clear, relevant criteria for selection and progression;
• make reasonable adjustments in recruitment/admissions processes where required;
• take steps to reduce bias in decision-making (for example through structured evaluation and consistent evidence-based assessment);
• ensure that contractual and professional opportunities are offered on merit and in line with this policy; and
• promote a culture where people can succeed without being expected to assimilate or downplay identity, background, or intellectual tradition.

 

The School has zero tolerance for the following:

 

• Direct Discrimination: Treating someone less favourably because of a protected characteristic.
• Indirect Discrimination: Applying a rule or practice that disadvantages a particular group without a justified, objective reason.
• Harassment: Unwanted conduct related to a protected characteristic that violates a person’s dignity or creates an intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating, or offensive environment.
• Victimisation: Treating someone badly because they have made a complaint or supported a complaint under this policy.
• The Governing Body: Holds ultimate responsibility for the implementation and oversight of this policy.
• The Founder and Leadership Team: Are responsible for fostering an inclusive culture and ensuring that EDI objectives are integrated into the School’s strategic planning.
• Staff and Students: Are expected to uphold the principles of this policy in all interactions, contributing to a safe and respectful learning environment.

 

The School will regularly monitor the diversity of its student body and staff to identify areas for improvement and to assess whether this policy is working in practice.

 

8.1 Monitoring (What We Collect and Why)

 

To understand and improve inclusion, we may collect and analyse relevant equality and diversity information, such as (where lawful and appropriate):

• student applicant, offer, enrolment, continuation, attainment, and completion data;
• staff recruitment, retention, progression, and pay-gap indicators where applicable;
• reports and outcomes relating to discrimination, harassment, and victimisation (in anonymised/aggregated form where possible); and
• feedback from learners, staff, and external stakeholders (e.g., surveys and consultation).

 

We will handle personal data in line with applicable data protection law and the School’s privacy information, using anonymisation/aggregation where practicable and limiting access to those who need it for legitimate purposes.

 

8.2 Review and Accountability

 

This policy will be reviewed annually (or sooner if needed due to legal or regulatory changes, serious incidents, or material organisational change). The review will consider monitoring data, feedback, and learning from reported cases to inform practical improvements to teaching practice, student experience, recruitment, and governance.

 

We take concerns about discrimination, harassment, or victimisation seriously, and we want people to feel safe raising issues.

 

9.1 How to Report

 

If you experience or witness discrimination, harassment, or victimisation, you can report it using the most appropriate route:

 

• Students: via the Student Complaints Procedure (or any dedicated reporting channel notified to students from time to time).
• Staff/contractors: via the Staff Grievance Policy (or by raising the issue with your manager or a designated senior contact where appropriate).

 

If the report relates to sexual misconduct or harassment of a sexual nature, the matter will be handled in line with the School’s Harassment and Sexual Misconduct Policy (including any specific reporting options and safeguards set out there).

 

9.2 What Happens Next

 

All reports will be handled seriously, sensitively, and as confidentially as possible. The School will:

• acknowledge receipt and explain next steps;
• assess immediate safety or welfare concerns and put interim measures in place where appropriate;
• investigate proportionately and without unreasonable delay;
• apply outcomes and actions that are fair and consistent; and
• protect individuals from retaliation (victimisation) for raising concerns in good faith.

 

Where this policy is breached, the School may take appropriate action, which may include training, corrective steps, formal warnings, termination of engagement (for staff/contractors), or academic/disciplinary processes (for students), depending on the circumstances and applicable procedures.

 

 

Effective Date: February 26, 2026

Approved by: Nigel Stewart, Co-Founder

Review Date: February 26, 2027