Global Citizenship and Southern Africa Liberation History Education in Southern Africa: A 21st Century Socio-legal Perspective

Abstract

This article presents key findings of a desktop study on the extent of integration of global citizenship education (GCED) and Southern Africa Liberation History (SALH) education in the secondary schools’ curricula in Angola, Democratic Republic of Congo, Eswatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Seychelles, United Republic of Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe. The aim of the study was to ascertain how education can be utilised as a tool to create future citizens who can think locally, regionally, and internationally as members of the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) and as part of the envisioned new world order. As such, the study sought to understand how GCED and SALH principles have been incorporated into the curricula of the selected countries. Desk research indicated that while SALH education is neither adequately integrated into curricula nor is it taught adequately (or particularly) in SADC, GCED is integrated into secondary school curricula in SADC. The study then offered a recommendation for policymakers on how to implement consistent methods for including SALH education and GCED in the curricula of secondary schools in the SADC Region. The recommendation has since led to the adoption of the Roadmap for integrating GCED and SALH in teaching and learning in SADC Member states in 2021–2022.

Keywords

• Global citizenship education
• Southern Africa Liberation History
• Ubuntu
• right to education
• human rights