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Embedding Global Citizenship Education in Initial Teacher Education through a Whole-Institution, Partnership-Based Approach
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2026-02-19
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Abstract
This case study reports on a multi-year initiative within an Irish Higher Education Institution (HEI) to embed Global Citizenship Education (GCE) systematically and sustainably within a Professional Master of Education (PME) Post-Primary programme. The PME is a postgraduate, consecutive Initial Teacher Education (ITE) programme in which learners have already completed an undergraduate degree in their subject specialism.
The initiative is situated within national policy developments that highlight the imperative for sustainable development and active citizenship within education. Ireland’s Second National Strategy on Education for Sustainable Development, ESD to 2030, jointly developed by the Department of Education (DoE) and the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (DFHERIS). This policy emphasises the need to equip all learners with the knowledge, skills, and dispositions required to contribute meaningfully to sustainable societies. Concurrently, the Teaching Council of Ireland’s Céim: Standards for Initial Teacher Education (2020) identifies Global Citizenship Education as one of seven core elements that must underpin the design of accredited ITE programmes.
Supported by the Ubuntu Network, a national community of practice for GCE in ITE, our programme sought to respond proactively to these policy drivers. The central aim was to move beyond awareness raising activities toward an authentic, programme wide embedding of GCE in teaching, learning, and assessment practices. This case study presents the systematic approach taken, the partnerships leveraged, and the outcomes to date.
Keywords
Global Citizenship Education, Initial Teacher Education, Programme coherence