How to build a Global Citizenship School (Training for school leaders)

In July 2025, I gave a lecture titled “Building a Global Citizenship School” as part of the professional development program on Global Citizenship Education (GCED) for principals and vice principals in Seoul, Republic of Korea.

For GCED to be implemented more comprehensively and sustainably at the school level, its values and principles need to be embedded in the overall curriculum, as well as in the school’s philosophy and operations. This is why the role of principals and vice principals is so crucial. Because of the very nature of GCED, it is far more effective when it is embraced across the whole school rather than in isolated classroom activities—though of course, what happens in individual lessons and classrooms also matters greatly. It is equally important for global citizenship values to be reflected in the school’s vision and ethos. While most educators who practice GCED fully agree with this, the reality is that such whole-school implementation is very difficult due to various constraints.

This is why I find it especially meaningful and encouraging to have opportunities to discuss “Building a Global Citizenship School” directly with principals and vice principals.

Although the lecture was only 1-hour long, I tried to invite the participants to explore why GCED needs to be implemented at the whole-school level and what elements must be considered. Following this, they were given a chance to share their own perspectives.

UNESCO often uses the term Whole-School Approach, while other organizations sometimes use the term School-wide Approach. In both cases, the concept is that the entire school community—students, teachers, staff, parents, and the local community—is engaged in GCED.

For this lecture, I drew on Oxfam’s Education for Global Citizenship: A Guide for Schools, focusing particularly on the core elements it outlines for a whole-school approach. Together, we reflected on how these elements could be applied in the participants’ own schools.

The guide identifies six key elements: school ethos, curriculum, student participation, staff development, transition, and community engagement. 

Rather than confining GCED to specific subjects or fragmented activities, it is important that global citizenship values are woven into the overall climate and ethos of the school. For GCED to take root at the school level, it must also be integrated into the curriculum. Equally vital is giving students opportunities to take active roles in school events, projects, and lessons related to GCED. Teacher capacity-building and nurturing the global citizenship of all staff members also play a key role.

The guide emphasizes that a school community is made up not only of teachers, but also administrative staff, health staff, cafeteria workers, custodians, facility managers, bus drivers, and many others. Therefore, it recommends creating opportunities for all staff to develop global citizenship competencies. If we consider the school not just as a site of classroom learning but as a living environment that profoundly shapes students, then strengthening global citizenship among all members of the school community is indeed a critical part of the whole-school approach.

“Transition” emphasize that GCED should not end within a single lesson, but continue to shape students’ growth, further studies, and post-graduation paths. “Community engagement” highlights the importance of building collaborative relationships with the broader local community, encouraging the community to take part in school activities.

Drawing on these elements, I invited participants to reflect on the three guiding questions proposed in UNESCO’s Reimagining Our Futures Together: A New Social Contract for Education (2021):

1. What should we continue doing?

2. What should we abandon?

3. What needs to be creatively invented afresh?

   
   

Through these questions, participants considered what their schools should continue, abandon, and newly begin in order to become Global Citizenship Schools, in light of the six key elements. This exercise led to meaningful exchanges of ideas and reflections among colleagues.

As always, I was reminded that GCED sessions are most impactful not through one-way lectures but through the process of participants organizing their thoughts, sharing experiences, and gaining insights from each other.

One principal emphasized that for GCED to be truly realized, it is not only the content of teaching but also the ways of teaching that must change—a point many colleagues strongly resonated with. This reflects the growing consensus on learner-centered, participatory, and experiential learning, which has long been emphasized in GCED. Achieving this will require not only changes to curricula and pedagogy but also teacher capacity-building, shifts in classroom culture, reforms in assessment, and even deeper changes in how we view education itself.

Looking ahead, I hope to share more concrete case studies of how GCED can be systematically planned and implemented at the school level. My wish is that more schools will embrace GCED as part of their core values and philosophy, and that this foundation will give rise to many meaningful educational practices.