International Journal of Social Science Research (IJSSR)

Incorporation of Global Citizenship Education in Integrated Teacher Education Programme: Curricular Perspectives

This paper intends to study the need and importance Global Citizenship Education in Integrated Teacher Education Programme. GCED is becoming increasingly significant as a desirable attribute in the context of increasing globalization and cultural diversity. The fundamental concepts of GCED lies not only in its ability to provide knowledge but also in shaping compassionate, open-minded individuals committed to creating a world that priorities digital citizenship, diversity, equity and inclusion, global interconnection and sustainable development. GCED aims at empowering teacher educators to become active promoters of more peaceful, inclusive and sustainable societies, promoting universal values & encouraging young people to pursue social engagement by understanding global issues. Main objectives of the paper are to identify the issues & challenges while implementing GCED in ITEP and to suggest some measures to overcome the challenges. As per the recommendations of NEP: 2020 GCED should be a part of Integrated Teacher Education Programme. The present scenario demands innovations in teacher education programme to make the teacher educators competent in delivering such education to their students. To groom globally competent teacher educators, more opportunities should be given to take part in conferences, attending abroad programs, and courses covering global issues. Global studies related components should be incorporated into ITEP for preparing teacher educators of global outlook. So that they will be able to instill in learners the values, attitudes and behaviors that support responsible global citizenship: creativity, innovation, and effective communication, problem solving skills, human rights and sustainable development. The teacher educators may face different challenges such as partial understanding of GCED, teaching methodologies and structural constraints regarding the government’s top-down approach, resource constraints, international collaboration & cultural resistance at the time of implementation of global citizenship education. To justify the above issues, it is suggested that GCED should be integrated not only in ITEP but also in 2-year B.Ed. Programme & a comprehensive syllabus should be developed to equip students with the wisdom of economical, political, social, and environmental decisions to create a better world. Key Words: Global Citizenship Education (GCED), Integrated Teacher Education Programme (ITEP)