The role of higher education in fostering civic values and critical thinking.

Abstract

This article examines the role of higher education faculty in fostering democratic citizenship and strengthening civic values amidst the 21st-century crisis of political representation. Drawing on international empirical evidence—including reports from International IDEA (2023) and the UNDP (2023–2024)—it argues that the university serves as an irreplaceable space for cultivating critical thinking and ethical deliberation. Concrete pedagogical strategies are proposed—grounded in citizenship education, the ethics of care, and Paulo Freire’s critical pedagogy—aimed at strengthening civic education across all university disciplines.