ABSTRACT
This chapter considers the extent to which school-based “national” citizenship education curricula reflect Global Citizenship Education (GCE) in Hong Kong and Thailand, two jurisdictions that have experienced recent upheaval stemming from social protest movements. It takes as a foundation UNESCO’s understanding of GCE and especially Sustainable Development Goal 4 concerned with education. These reflect concerns for mainstreaming respect for human rights, (cultural) diversity and multiple identities, tolerance and critical thinking: skills supported by “universal” international human rights law. The chapter considers how national citizenship education curricula in Hong Kong and Thailand are continually being refocused according to the changing needs and desires of societies (and their governments). The particular focus is on how school curriculum in each jurisdiction approaches the issue of “dealing with difference”, a key aspect of GCE. This leads to a broader discussion about the actual and potential role of young people to enact global citizenship education outside of school and their capacity to connect transnationally via social media as a means of fulfilling their right to freedom of speech.
