EARLIER this year in the Annual General Meeting for Parent and Educators Council (PEC), Mr. Bernard Shamlaye, Minister of Education, stressed the fact that starting this year more emphasis will be put on the Education for Citizenship. Like many other countries for some years now this subject has been part of the Personal and Social Education curriculum in state schools.
The importance of teaching 'citizenship' derives from the nature of democracy. Democracies need active, informed and responsible citizens, citizens who are willing and able to take responsibility for themselves and their communities and contribute to the political process. These capacities do not develop unaided. They have to be learned.
While a certain amount of citizenship may be picked up through ordinary experience in the home or at work, it can never in itself be sufficient to equip citizens for the sort of active role required of them in today's complex and diverse society.
Wherever it occurs, citizenship education has the same basic aims and purposes. It is education for citizenship, that is, education which aims to help people learn how to become active, informed and responsible citizens.
More specifically, it aims to prepare them for life as citizens of a democracy. Different characteristics are required by citizens in different types of political system. The characteristics required of people living as free and equal citizens in a democratic society differ significantly from those of people living under, say, a totalitarian regime.
Democracies depend upon citizens who, among other things, are:
- aware of their rights and responsibilities as citizens
- informed about the social and political world
- concerned about the welfare of others
- articulate in their opinions and arguments
- capable of having an influence on the world
- active in their communities
Citizenship Education helps young people in many ways. It helps to develop in them self-confidence and to successfully deal with significant life changes and challenges such as bullying and discrimination. It gives them a voice in the life of their schools, in their communities and in society at large. It enables them to make a positive contribution by developing the expertise and experience needed to claim their rights and understand their responsibilities, and preparing them for the challenges and opportunities of adult and working life.