Reimagining the Future of Teacher Education： A Global South Perspective
Moderator: Gang Zhu, Associate Professor, Institute of International and Comparative Education, East China Normal University
Dean Speaker: Mbulungeni Madiba, Dean of the Faculty of Education, Stellenbosch University
Discussants: Sinéad Morgan, Postgraduate Researcher on the Structured PhD in Education, Mary Immaculate College
Joseph Cosgrove, Undergraduate Student in Primary Teaching and Psychology, Mary Immaculate College
Abstract
This presentation reimagines the future of teacher education through a Global South lens, foregrounding the need to move beyond deficit-oriented narratives that position these contexts as lagging behind Northern models. Instead, it advances a perspective that recognizes the Global South as a site of innovation, resilience, and epistemic diversity, with the potential to reshape the global discourse on teacher preparation. It is argued that the future of teacher education in the Global South lies in developing educators as critical, reflective practitioners and knowledge producers who can design and sustain contextually relevant and transformative learning environments. In doing so, the presentation positions the Global South not as a recipient of external models, but as a key contributor to reimagining teacher education for a more equitable and interconnected world.
Video Link: https://youtu.be/_KBLRxRG7Mo?si=SqeV2zsBxQ6-j7V7
