LET’S HAVE CITIZENSHIP EDUCATION IN SCHOOLS

LET’S HAVE CITIZENSHIP EDUCATION IN SCHOOLS
Wednesday, 04 January 2017 | NABA KISHORE PUJARI | in Bhubaneswar

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. In a country like India, which enjoys the world’s largest democracy, our roles and functions should not merely be limited to awareness about our rights and responsibilities but we also are informed about the social and political world and we articulate our opinions and arguments as active citizens. To do so, we need to know about our socio-cultural ethos, historical background and our rich tradition of our secularity and sovereignty as well as religious diversity.

We all have a notion that the citizenship education develops in a person through ordinary experiences; maybe after we are eligible to cast our votes or the older we grow. We believe our jobs as limited once we have already chosen political representatives to do on our part. But the capacities needed to be an active citizen do not develop singlehanded. We need to learn it. While citizenship may be picked up through ordinary experience in the home or at work to some extent, it can never suffice us to equip as citizens for the sort of active role required of them in today’s complex and diverse society.

If citizens are to become genuinely involved in public life and affairs, a more explicit approach to citizenship education is required. Because there are numerous citizenship issues that warrant people to know and react to.

Citizenship education essentially stresses upon increasing people’s capacity or enabling them to make informed choice or have their own decision as well as to take responsibilities for their own lives and communities they live in. Very importantly, citizenship education helps build our character and the required skills to communicate, intent to initiate, improve our social interaction and teamwork.

While it is commonsense-wise relative to have citizenship education for adults, there are experimental evidences that ask for introducing citizenship education for children and youths. Because that would help them develop self-confidence and successfully deal with significant life changes and challenges such as bullying and discrimination. Also, it enables them to make a positive contribution by developing the expertise and experience needed to claim their rights and understand their responsibilities.

Schools being the core platform of nation building tasks, education on active citizenship would yield motivated and responsible learners who relate positively to each other, family members and to the neighbourhoods. For society, it helps create an active and responsible citizenry, willing to participate in the life of the nation and the wider world and play its part in the democratic process.

Even though several topics on the Constitution, political processes, laws/Acts and roles and responsibilities of a citizen are taught through social science subjects in schools and sociology/political science subjects in colleges. But citizenship education involves many more than that. It teaches them the knowledge and understanding, skills and aptitudes, values and dispositions  which helps them understand their rights and responsibilities, diversity, social justice, adherence to rule of law, environmental conservation and gender equality and empower them to be change-enablers who meaningfully participate in the decisions of the society. Also, it teaches on our national values.

We have successful examples of active citizenship education being incorporated in European, African and other several countries. In our country also, such initiatives by nonprofit organisations like the Children’s Movement for Civic Awareness are being undertaken to prepare young children as active citizens. Now, it’s time to replicate and universalise in the school curriculum in our country to cherish a more inclusive society. All that we need is to emphasise the importance of citizenship education and make effort to create a critical mass of citizens who have the knowledge, skill and confidence to participate in our democracy as effective citizens.

See more at:
http://www.dailypioneer.com/state-editions/bhubaneswar/lets-have-citizenship-education-in-schools.html