SDG 4 and Education in the Global South and Global North: Curriculum, Policy, and Practice
A special issue of Education Sciences (ISSN 2227-7102).
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 July 2026 | Viewed by 16
Special Issue Editors
Interests: teacher education; education policies and practices in diverse settings; global education; cross-cultural investigations that address diverse educational settings; social justice, anti-bias, multicultural education
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Interests: rural education; transformative learning; education policies and practices; cultural diversity; globalization and internationalization
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Achieving Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG 4)—inclusive, equitable, quality education and lifelong learning—remains uneven across contexts, reflecting persistent disparities in access, resources, and outcomes. The Education Sciences Special Issue aims to collate research that examines how curriculum, policy, and practice interact across the Global South and Global North to advance educational equity, sustainability, and transformative learning from early childhood through higher education.
Achieving SDG 4 requires more than just policy alignment—it also demands a transformative rethinking of curriculum, pedagogy, and systems of knowledge production. This issue fosters dialogue between scholars and practitioners across the Global South and North, amplifying voices that envision inclusive, just, and sustainable futures for education.
We welcome contributions derived through
- empirical research (qualitative, quantitative, or mixed methods),
- comparative or cross-national studies,
- theoretical and critical analyses,
- case studies and practice-based reflections,
- systematic reviews or meta-analyses,
and address (but not limited to) the following:
- Curriculum reforms embedding Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) and Global Citizenship Education (GCED);
- Policy innovations, governance, and measurement frameworks for equitable quality education;
- Teacher agency, professional learning, and pedagogical innovation in diverse settings;
- Comparative North–South analyses of SDG 4 implementation;
- Indigenous, community-based, and decolonial approaches to curriculum and practice;
- Digital divides, crisis-responsive learning, and hybrid education futures1) The issue introduction includes the background and the importance of this research area.
Prof. Dr. Lydiah Nganga
Prof. Dr. John Kambutu
Guest Editors
Manuscript Submission Information
Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.
Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a double-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Education Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.
Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1800 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.
Keywords
- sustainable development goal 4 (SDG 4)
- educational equity
- transformative learning
- curriculum reform
- global citizenship education (GCED)
- education for sustainable development (ESD)
- teacher agency
- decolonial and Indigenous education
- comparative North–South perspectives
- educational policy and governance
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