Selina Mushi has experience with formal education systems in three different countries: Tanzania, Canada and the United States.
She has based her debut book, “A Global Analysis of Education in the 21st Century: What Kinds of Schools Do We Need Today?” on her in-depth analysis on the direction formal education systems appear to be headed in the modern age.
“I have always wanted education to be of high quality to learners and of practical benefit to society in terms of making life better for everyone,” said Mushi, associate professor of Teacher Education and coordinator of the Early Childhood Education Program at Northeastern Illinois University. “I do everything I can to help my students learn effectively, and when I see obstacles to their effective learning, I feel that someone should do something about it.”
Through her work, Mushi aims to give educators insight into the role of education in today’s society, the meaning of “high-quality education” and the global challenges in formal education.
“I examine education systems in several countries—industrialized as well as developing—and summarize the literature in the context of quality and profit, the digital race and acquired dependency syndromes within and across countries,” she said.
Barry van Driel, International Director for Teacher Education and Curriculum Development at the Anne Frank House and Vice President of the International Association for Intercultural Education, reviewed the book and said that it sets the stage by calling attention to the prospects of formal education globally.
“What is new is to look at the perspective of an author with roots in Africa,” he said. “This African perspective provides a corrective lens to the many contributions from the West.”
Mushi, who has taught and done research at Cameron University, Pace University, University of Toronto and the University of Dar es Salaam, has been at Northeastern since 1999.
Prior to her university experiences, Mushi spent nine years teaching in primary schools, grades 1-7, in English, math, Kiswahili, geography and science.
