This is a very broad question, with the influences of decolonization surely varying strongly according to regions and time-frames. Hopefully I can give some insight into one case: Angola following independence. This is directly tied to cooperation between Angola and Cuba regarding education (which also extended to direct and indirect military cooperation).

In a fascinating book on the topic ("Kubaner in Angola: Süd-Süd-Kooperation und Bildungstransfer 1976-1991"), Christine Hatzky talks of "South-South cooperation", highlighting how two non-Western countries worked together in times of the Cold War -- both in order to further their own goals. When talking about the Cuban-Angolan cooperation some background on Cuban education is necessary. F. Castro had spoken out against the perils of illiteracy as early as 1953, and initiated a national alphabetisation campaign in 1961. While official figures have to be treated with caution, we know that the 8-month long campaign was a success, and led to UNESCO declaring the country free of analphabetism.

Another point to keep in mind here is Cuba's tactic of international solidarity, which could mean military aid esp. in the 60s' and 70s', but also "medical diplomacy". Humanitarian missions we meant to improve Cuba's foreign relations, and they replaced military missions for the most part after the end of the Soviet Union.

Turning to Angola: From the early 1960's opposition to the Portuguese colonial regime had started forming. Following the military coup in Portugal 1974, there started the war for independence between various native movements. In 1975 the Angolan MPLA declared independence, backed by the USSR and Cuba. This led to a decades-long civil war with another liberation movement called UNITA until 1991, but continuing afterwards, who had South African (and at some point indirect US) backing.

Already during the conflict for independence, cooperation between Cuba and Angola constituted a main basis for the construction of political structures in post-colonial Angola. The educational cooperation also meant that methods for stabilising rule were brought from Cuba to Angola, serving to strenthen the MPLA's predominance. The construction of a nation-wide public educational system was an important addition to this tactic -- it was made possible through the employment of thousands of Cuban teachers and pedagogues. It was the biggest civil foreign mission of Cuba until 1991, spanning ca. 50.000 civilians in total, and ca. 10.000 active in education.

Both powers followed their own political interests in this educational policy in a relatively equal way, without direct interference by the Cold War powers. On the other hand, the Angolan government often made demands on Havana. Angola had a certain leverage due to their financing of the civilian mission, which was kept secret by Havana even from the civilians themselves. Because of this the mission "based only on solidarity" as propagated by the Cuban government has to be challenged -- we rather see a direct support of the MPLA, from which Havana profited directly. In the end, the commonly proclaimed goals of the creation of a socialist Angola were not realized, as the MPLA started applying stronger capitalist policies from the 80s onwards.

Now for some more details on the educational policies: The Cuban civilans supported administration and control of the territories claimed by the MPLA. However, due to the mission's large scale the indigenous development of an Angolan educational system was strongly disrupted. For one, not enough Angolan teachers were educated.

On the one hand the comparatively innovative pedagogical measures taken by Cuban teachers helped to overcome the colonial educational system. On the other hand this was relativized through internal rules: Thus the teachers' work was only measured by the succesfull holding of exams, not by a sustainable transmission of knowledge. One exemption can be mentioned, the formation of a small but very influential Angolan elite, connected to their education in Angola and in Cuban boarding schools.

Various factors have to be taken into account when talking of a 'failure' of the educational cooperation. First and foremost, it took place during times of civil war, in addition to major South African military interventions. These military conflicts strongly disrupted an alphabetisation campaign (modeled on the Cuban experience). They also meant that many of the Cuban civilians employed in Angola were traumatised by their time in the country -- something not discussed publicly in Cuba until now. The official Cuban discourse rather highlights the military successes esp. after 1991 (including Cuban assistance during the huge Cuito Canavale battle).

In truth, the small advances made in Angolan education, infrastructure, administration and medicine due to Cuban civil aid were destroyed since the mid '80s by the opponents of war. Until 1992 the Cuban civilians were gradually recalled. One major consequence for Cuba was the professionalisation and economisation of international solidarity, esp. through the building of administrative structures in Angola but also in Cuba itself -- influencing later Cuban humanitarian missions.

Edit: Hatzky's book was recently translated into English as "Cubans in Angola. South-South Cooperation and Transfer of Knowledge, 1976-1991. University of Wisconsin Press, Madison 2015."