Teacher Education and Development of Global Citizenship in Africa

Despite the togetherness view of globalization, the world is still diverse and multicultural. The world is becoming more like a single country due to the global transfer of ideas, knowledge, and practical experiences. Simultaneously, the multicultural nature of many countries is increasing due to the movement of people within different parts of the globe. In these circumstances, education is a key element in adaptation to the diverse social and cultural environment within and across borders. Education also enables individuals to participate in local and global communities and show fundamental capacities to engage in rational and enlightened thinking.

Informed by theories of globalization and critical education, this paper explores the development and ongoing discourse of global citizenship education in relation to teacher education in Africa. In particular, I discuss the role of teacher education in developing global citizenship by focusing on educational policies, course content, and pedagogical practices. Furthermore, I critically analyze the dis/connections between indigenous (African) and Western global citizenship frameworks. I argue that many African values and norms are significant to GCE. However, since colonial times, indigenous knowledge or traditional wisdom of African people has been dominated by Western knowledge. Finally, I analyze the challenges in incorporating global citizenship education into teacher education. The paper contributes to advancing people’s understanding of the nexus of teacher education and global citizenship education.