Internationalisation of the curriculum (IoC) has become more of a focus for higher education institutions in recent years (Zhou, 2019). It is recognised by scholars and policy-makers as an important component of any university’s internationalisation strategy since it provides international and intercultural opportunities to all students (Hammond & Waseda, 2021; Leask, 2013). This is why the growing body of scholarship admits that IoC is on the agenda of many higher education institutions (Leask, 2011; Zou et al., 2020) playing an important part in reforms of the higher education system in various countries (Huang, 2006). Taking into account that the world of work and business is becoming more international, more globalised, more multicultural, and more cosmopolitan, engaging students with the internationalisation agenda of universities will have an impact on their future lives as has the potential to have a broader impact on society (Haigh, 2018; Leask, 2011).

Education for global citizenship is about encouraging learners to see themselves as citizens of the whole world rather than just a small fraction. Global citizens need three attributes to be fostered through teaching, namely critical awareness of their own tradition, recognition of their responsibilities as a world citizen, and the emphatic imagination needed to see the world as others see it (Haigh, 2018). Therefore, apart from teaching global knowledge and international languages, it is of utmost importance to bring incomer students to also learn the local language, culture as well as conventions but of course by respecting international standards. As education becomes more globalised, internationalised standards become more relevant and pressures develop for greater compatibility with international norms (Haigh, 2014).

Nevertheless, one challenge faced by sub-Saharan African universities is how to incorporate indigenous knowledge in the internationalisation of the curriculum. Because following De Wit and his colleague, current debates on internationalisation in higher education have been argued as no longer being considered in terms of a Westernised, largely Anglo-Saxon, and predominantly English-speaking paradigm. New approaches are emerging and involved. For instance, decolonisation of the curriculum, which gives less emphasis on the Anglosphere and Western dominance in the IoC (De Wit & Jones, 2021), is one of them. The literature states that decolonisation entails giving value to local knowledge and language (Frassinelli, 2018; Mbembe, 2016; Wa Thiong’o, 1986) because it is viewed as the future of Africa (Ndlovu-Gatsheni, 2015). When discussing IoC we believe that it is extremely important to explore the extent to which faculty members understand and implement it across higher education as well as how local knowledge, that is indigenous knowledge, is embedded in it.

This study explores faculty’s experiences inherent in the internationalisation of the curriculum in Mozambican higher education from a decolonisation perspective. Based on a critical analysis of semi-structured interviews elicited from faculty members of Pedagogic University of Maputo, the following research questions were asked: 1) How do faculty members understand and implement the internationalisation of the curriculum in Mozambican higher education? 2) How is the indigenous knowledge embedded in the internationalisation of the Mozambican higher education curriculum? The findings reveal that the internationalisation of the curriculum in Mozambican higher education comprises developing intercultural knowledge, skills, and values; mobility of students, teachers and academic programmes; and teaching international students and languages. Hence, the indigenous knowledge is barely embedded as the curriculum is strongly influenced by the Western-oriented approach. 

Methodology Research Design The primary purpose of this conference paper is to explore faculty members’ experiences inherent in understanding and implementation of the IoC in Mozambican higher education and as a follow-up to investigate the extent to which indigenous knowledge is embedded in the internationalisation of the Mozambican higher education curriculum. The study adopted a qualitative research approach. Qualitative research focuses on the attitudes towards understanding, experiences, and interpretations by humans of the social world. Furthermore, it gives voices to participants (Cohen et al., 2018). Data Collection Procedure and Ethical Considerations In data collection, Creswell (2014) reports that in the qualitative approach the collection of data occurs in the field at the site where participants experience the phenomenon under investigation. Hence, nine senior faculty members from UP-Maputo were involved in the study. Prior to contacting the key informants in the sampled university, three letters of the same content were sent to the faculties, namely Faculty of Language Sciences, Communication and Arts (FCLCA); Faculty of Earth Sciences and Environment (FCTA); and Faculty of Natural Sciences and Mathematics (FCNM) for twofold reasons: First, to explain the main objective of the interview. Second, to seek permission from their respective deans. Following approval, the consent was sought through email before interviewing the participants. Instrumentation A semi-structured interview served as the instrument for data collection to answer the research question. Moreover, the instrument was designed for eliciting information divided into two sections. The first section had three questions used to elicit the respondents’ background information (gender, years of experience in teaching, and qualifications). Whilst the second section had nine questions. In a nutshell, it was used to gather information related to their understanding of the IoC from the perspective of teaching. Furthermore, the informants’ views on educational purpose, the skills, knowledge, and attitudes required. Finally, the information about the dominant and emerging paradigms of IoC existing currently in the respondents’ graduation programmes was also elicited. Data Analysis After collecting data, the different data sets related to the participants’ experiences on IoC were thematically analysed using inductive approaches to develop data-driven categories. Braun and Clarke (2006) describe thematic analysis as a method for identifying, analysing, and reporting themes within data. It provides a flexible and useful research tool with a rich and detailed account of data. From this process, a set of themes were generated and described in the results chapter.

Conclusion This study aimed at exploring faculty members’ experiences inherent in understanding and implementation of the IoC in the perspective of teaching. Moreover, as a follow-up, it investigated the extent to which local knowledge is embedded in the internationalisation of the Mozambican higher education curriculum. The paper was guided by the following research questions: How do faculty members understand and implement the internationalisation of the curriculum in Mozambican higher education? 2). How is the indigenous knowledge embedded in the internationalisation of the Mozambican higher education curriculum? Three themes emerged as they appear to be the most common features of IoC in Mozambican higher education: i) IoC as helping students develop intercultural knowledge, skills and values; ii) IoC as the mobility of teachers, students and academic programme; and iii) IoC as teaching a diversity of international students and languages in the classroom. Judged by the findings that emerged, we conclude that indigenous knowledge is barely embedded in the internationalisation of the Mozambican higher education curriculum. The IoC is strongly influenced by the Western-oriented approach in order to encompass global competence, intercultural knowledge, international languages and skills. Hence, more room is needed for undergoing decolonisation process so that the faculty members operationalise the IoC in Mozambique by also including local knowledge across academic programmes for the development of a full picture for the advocated global, intercultural and linguistic competency.

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