GCED Curriculum Development and Integration Project (GCED CDI) Partners' Meeting 2024 : Exploring Outcomes and Challenges

The GCED Curriculum Development and Integration Project (GCED CDI) Partners' Meeting 2024 took place in Penang, Malaysia. This year’s meeting was especially significant, as it united Global Citizenship Cooperation Centre (GCC) partners and GCED CDI Project partners from around the world, fostering a collaborative environment focused on promoting GCED.

The first session of the meeting featured presentations from the Project’s 4th round (2022-2024) countries, highlighting their progress, strategies, and challenges. From Ghana, Professor Michael Amakyi, Project Lead at the Institute for Educational Planning and Administration (IEPA), shared their experiences in developing GCED manuals for trainers and teachers, addressing the hurdles they faced and outlining future plans. Additionally, Ms. Genevieve Mensah, Principal Curriculum Development Officer of the National Council for Curriculum & Assessment (NaCCA), showcased Ghana’s GCED resource pack and training materials for educators.

Malaysia’s contributions to the GCED CDI Project were presented by Mr. Kumaresan A/L M. Subramaniam, Principal Assistant Director at the Curriculum Development Division, Ministry of Education, Malaysia, who discussed the integration of GCED within the Malaysian education system. Dr. Toh Lai Chee from Arts-ED elaborated on their project efforts this year, including the development of a teacher’s guide, workshops, and pilot testing.

Representing Bhutan, Dr. Dawa Gyaltshen, Curriculum Developer at the Ministry of Education and Skills Development, shared the outcomes of their GCED initiatives, including the creation of a national GCED curriculum framework and an integration guide. Bhutan’s innovative TEAM model, which stands for Teaching and Education, Application, and Modelling, was highlighted as a comprehensive approach to mainstreaming GCED through a whole-school and multi-stakeholder strategy.

The GCED CDI Project partners in Bangladesh, the Ministry of Primary and Mass Education (MoPME), were unable to attend in person due to national unrest. However, the MoPME team were able to participate in the meeting online, with Professor Reazul Hasan delivering a presentation via Zoom. 

Following this, the Project’s 5th round (2024-2026) countries delivered their presentations. As new participants, these countries shared their anticipated outcomes and challenges for the GCED CDI Project. Dr. Chalermchai Panthalert, Director of the Bureau of Academic Affairs and Educational Standards at the Office of the Basic Education Commission, Ministry of Education, introduced Thailand’s GCED CDI Project. The presentation highlighted expected outcomes, including the pilot integration of a GCED curriculum with supporting resources. Representing Pakistan, Ms. Fareeha Tahseen, Additional Secretary of the School Education Department, Government of Punjab, outlined their first-year plan, which includes forming a curriculum development committee and conducting a situational analysis. 

Mr. Shreehari Shrestha, Section Officer at the Curriculum Development Center (CDC), Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, presented Nepal's existing curriculum and future plans to implement GCED, while also posing questions to currently active partners. Lastly, Mr. Nourreddine Bendouqi, Inspector/Coordinator of English at the Ministry of National Education, Preschool, and Sports (MEN), discussed Morocco’s education curriculum reform and their progress in situational analysis.

The presentations, especially the questions raised by the Nepalese GCED CDI Project partners, sparked enthusiastic discussions among the participants. GCC programme partners also actively engaged in the dialogue, exchanging valuable insights on GCED. This meeting underscored the importance of the collective commitment to promoting  GCED and the value of sharing ideas and support in overcoming common challenges.