Implementing Global Citizenship Education in Zambian Secondary Schools: Challenges and Opportunities from Civic Education Teachers’ Perspectives

Global Citizenship Education (GCED) has emerged as an important educational response to globalization, democratic participation, peacebuilding, and sustainable development. In Zambia, the integration of GCED within the competence-based Civic Education curriculum presents both opportunities and implementation challenges for teachers. This study examined the challenges and opportunities experienced by Civic Education teachers in implementing GCED in selected secondary schools in Lusaka, Zambia. The study was guided by UNESCO’s Global Citizenship Education framework and informed by Transformative Learning Theory and Social Constructivist Theory. A convergent parallel mixed-methods design was employed involving 50 Civic Education teachers drawn from five purposively selected public secondary schools. Quantitative data were collected using structured questionnaires, while qualitative data were generated through focus group discussions and documentary analysis. Quantitative data were analysed descriptively, whereas qualitative data were analysed thematically using the constant comparative method. The findings revealed that inadequate teacher training, limited teaching and learning resources, curriculum overload, examination-oriented teaching, weak institutional support, and inadequate digital infrastructure constrain the effective implementation of GCED. Despite these challenges, significant opportunities were identified through learner interest and participation, competence-based curriculum reforms, digital technologies, school-community engagement, and professional partnerships. The study further established that Civic Education provides an important platform for promoting critical thinking, civic responsibility, tolerance, peace, and global awareness among learners. The article concludes that effective implementation of GCED in Zambia requires sustained teacher professional development, improved access to instructional and digital resources, stronger policy support, and greater integration of experiential and learner-centred pedagogies. The study contributes empirical evidence to the growing scholarship on GCED implementation in Sub-Saharan Africa and provides insights for curriculum reform, teacher education, and educational policy.