Living together in diversity: A comparative study of citizenship education curricula in Sri Lanka and Australia

Recent debates on citizenship education centre on how best to foster inclusivity amidst diversity, and whether a common core of citizenship education can be universally applied. This paper examines policy and curriculum documents from Sri Lanka and Australia, two multicultural nations in the Asia-Pacific region, to explore how key values such as democracy, social justice, and human rights are utilised to support social cohesion. While both countries draw on these shared values, they are framed differently: Sri Lanka emphasises moral development and socio-emotional resilience, whereas Australia promotes civic participation and community engagement. These differing conceptions reflect each nation’s historical legacies and contemporary challenges. By highlighting the contextual nature of curriculum design, this study contributes to a deeper understanding of the multiple ways democratic and inclusive citizenship can be interpreted, and the diverse strategies employed by education systems to support pluralistic societies.