The Role of Higher Education in Nurturing Global Citizenship in Eritrea

Abstract

This study argues that there are important potentialities in the interplay between critical pedagogy and course content in Eritrean Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) for cultivating graduates who are prepared to act as global citizens. To understand whether these potentialities are being realized, an examination of HEIs' pedagogical practices is necessary. Thus, through document analysis and semi-structured interviews, this study asked, how do students and staff at Eritrean HEIs experience these institutions' pedagogical practices? Despite different challenges, the study concluded that Eritrean HEIs, through their use of mixed pedagogical practices that illustrate both critical and semi-interactive pedagogical experiences, are indeed equipping their students with the knowledge, skills and attitudes to act as responsible global citizens. Without generalization, the research to some extent can be considered as explanatory to other developing states and nation-states with similar conditions as Eritrea.