Decolonizing environmental education: celebrating epistemological diversity through integrating traditional ecological knowledge and scientific knowledge in Oman

Abstract My goal in this project is to understand how traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) manifests—or fails to manifest—in environmental education policy issued by the Ministry of Education in Oman. I also seek to explore whether there are cultural pressures in Omani society to overlook TEK in environmental education policy. Specifically, my aim is to understand how forces of globalization interact with TEK in Oman and whether these forces are behind the tendency to unknowingly ignore TEK when designing the Environmental Education Policy. Drawing on critical decolonial studies, post-Heideggerian philosophy, and environmental education pedagogy, this article investigates the Policy of Environmental Education for Sustainable Development in Oman, which is a government document issued by the Ministry of Education in 2012 as a blueprint for designing environmental education curricula in Oman. My analysis of the policy reveals that there is both a tension with and a potential for a pluriversal approach—one that embraces the coexistence and mutual enrichment of scientific knowledge and TEK in environmental education. While the focus on scientism has historically marginalized TEK, this article argues for a pluriversal framework that values multiple ways of knowing. By fostering a dialogue between these knowledge systems, environmental education can become more inclusive, holistic, and ecoculturally sustainable. I argue for honouring indigenous world-views and celebrating the manifestations of our ecological heritage by integrating TEK into a land-based pedagogy that works alongside scientific perspectives, promoting a richer understanding of the environment.