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Department: INFORMATION AND TELECOMMUNICATION

TVET –Program Title: ITSM AND DATABASE ADMINISTRATION Level: IV Year: I

Course /Module Title: CIVICS

Ac. Year: 2012 E.C

Nominal Duration: 50 Hours: Semester: I

Course / Module Code: Program: (Reg/Ext) :

Name of the Trainer:.

Course / Module Description

This module aims to provide the trainees with the knowledge, skills and right attitude required to
participate in the planning process and to contribute to the development of a strategic plan..

Leaning Objectives:

At eh end of the course / Module, the trainee will able to:

Learning outcomes:

I. Building a Democratic System

II. Rule of Law
III. Equality
IV. Justice
V. Industriousness
VI. Saving
Course / Module Assessment Methods: oral, written and interview
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LO1: Building a Democratic System

Democracy is now widely used concept in every society. It is defined in different ways. The conception about
democracy cannot be limited to few definitions. It is a concept that is subject to different explanations and
understandings. Definitions about democracy are broad to include all aspects of the society which ranges from the
individual up to the system government.

Defining democracy:-

 From the origin of the word …democracy is derived from Greek word Demokratia (Demos) the common
people and form Kratiento rule; literary the common people rule.
 From people to people …based on Abraham Lincoln widely known definition, democracy is a government of
the people, by the people and for the people.
 Of the people implies a government which is established on the support of the people.
 By the people means representative government
 For the people suggest that government should carry on by persons of high principles.
 As a system of administration … democracy is a system where the population of a society controls the
government. In broad terms, it means a society as a whole which can exert political and social power.
1.1. Basic Principles of the Ethiopian constitution
 The Sovereignty of the People
 The supremacy of the constitution
 The respect of human and democratic rights
 The separation of state and religion
 Conduct and accountability of the government
1.1.1 The Sovereignty of the People
 In democracy, citizens elect their representatives to different level of public offices
 The elected people assume the power and exercise it on behalf of citizens for limited period.
 In the meantime citizens are able to remove elected representatives. This is what is called the sovereign power
of the people.

 Article 8, sub article 1,2 and 3 of the constitution express the sovereignty of the
people as follows:
i. All sovereign power resides in the Nations, Nationalities and Peoples of Ethiopia.
ii. This constitution is an expression of their sovereignty.
iii. Their sovereignty shall be expressed through their representatives elected in accordance with this constitution
and through their direct democratic participation
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1.1.2 The Supremacy of the Constitution

 A constitution is a fundamental law of a country or supreme law of the land.
 It contains basic principles values, beliefs and traditions that govern or regulate the internal and external
affairs of a given country.
 It is a body of fundamental rules by which government operator.
 As a source of rule of law where the government and public officials shall be held accountable to the people
and are responsible for their action.

 Article 9, sub article 1 and 2 express what the supremacy of the constitution means:
i. The constitution is the supreme law of the land. Any law, customary practice or decision of an organ of
state or a public official which contravenes this constitution shall be of no effect.
ii. All citizens, organs of state, political organizations, other associations as well as their officials have the
duty to ensure observance of the constitution and to obey it.
1.1.3 The Respect of Human and Democratic Rights
 The provision of fundamental freedom and right of citizen are characteristics of democracy.
 Human rights are natural rights; each individual has a right to these rights simple because he / she is human
being, regardless of his /her nationality, belief, sex …etc.
 No one has the right to take away these rights.
 Democratic rights are essential to ensuring fair political life in a political system.
 In general, without the exerciseand respect of human and democratic rights, it impossible to think about
democracy
• Article 10, states the following:
i. Human rights and freedoms, emanating from the nature of mankind, are inviolable and inalienable.
ii. Human and democratic rights of citizens and peoples shall be respected.
1.1.4 The Separation of State and Religion
 The separation of state and religion makes Ethiopia a secular state.
 Article 11, states:
i. State and religion are separate
ii. There shall be no state religion
iii. The state shall not interfere in religious matters and religion shall not interfere in state affairs
1.1.5 Conduct and Accountability of the Government
 Article 12, states:
i. The conduct of the affair of the government shall be transparent.
ii. Any public official or an elected representative is accountable for any failure in official duties.
iii. In case of loss of confidence, the people may recall an elected representative. The particulars of recall shall
be determined by law.
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1.2. Human and Democratic Rights and the Ethiopian Constitution

I. Human Rights
 The federal democratic republic of Ethiopia has adopted the principles of the universal declaration of human
rights and other international human rights instruments. Some of these rights and freedoms include the right
to:-

 The right to life

 Right to liberty
 Right to equality
 The right of the security of person
 Freedom of religion
 Freedom of belief and opinion
 Right of persons arrested and accused
 Right of honor and reputation
 Right to privacy
 Prohibition against inhuman treatment, etc.
II.Democratic Rights
 These rights are fundamental rights of individuals and peoples in a democratic society that are protected by
the constitution
 Some of these democratic rights include the right to:-

 The right of assembly

 The right of demonstration and petition  Right of access to justice

 Freedom of association  The right to vote and to be elected
 Freedom of movement  Rights of nations, nationalities and
 Rights of nationality ,marital, personal peoples
and family rights  Economic, social and cultural rights
 Rights of women  Environmental rights, etc
 Rights of children

1.4. State Power Distribution in Ethiopia

 Ethiopia is defined as a Federal Democratic Republic.

 Federalism is a system of government where power is divided between federal and regional governments.
 Devolution, the principle of federalism, means to transfer power to the regions that constitute the federation.
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 One of the major principles of federalism is distribution of power among the member states and the central
government. distribution of power has three benefits:

1. It secure self-government right of people;

2. It also provides people with the opportunity to work together on equal basis for their common good
3. It brings constitutional limit on the powers and authority of the federal government and the regional
government
 The FDRE constitution introduced a dual government structure. Accordingly, the state power is divided
between regional and federal/central governments.
 Power and function of the federal government:-
 These exclusive powers of the government are:-
 Protecting and defending the constitution and the country
 Formulating implementing policies, strategies and plans in relation with the overall economic and
social development matters
 Establishing and administrating national defense
 Formulating and implementing foreign relation policies, and carrying out international agreements
 Determine issues relating to nationality and immigration ;includes garneting of passport matters
related to entry into and exit from the country
 Power and function of regional government:-
 Regional states as self-governing bodies exercise authority over all affairs; such as
 Self-governance
 Maintaining public order and peace within the state
 Allocating and administrating the state budget
 Collecting taxes and revenues within the state
 Powers exercised by the federal and regional governments include:
 Social sectors, education, health, social and labor affairs, civil service, transport and communication…etc
 Economic sectors, trade, industry and tourism, finance, agriculture…etc
 Information and culture…etc
 This division of power is again divided to the three branches of the state and federal governments. These are the
legislative, executive and judiciary powers.
 the legislative body:-
 In most cases, national parliament is known as legislative body which has the highest power.
 For example, the parliament is composed of two houses, the house of people’s representative and the house
of federation.
 Supreme powers of the federal government reside in the house of people’ representatives.
 The federal parliaments, the house of people representatives, which is responsible for the making of laws
and other matters of national concern.
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 The house of federation is composed of representatives of nation, nationalities and peoples of the member
state of the federation.

 Each nation, nationality, people has at least one representative.

 The principal task of the house of federation is to interpret the constitution and decide on a constitutional
dispute submitted to it.
 The Executive body:-
 The Executive is a body responsible for enforcing laws.
 The executive is the daily operational part of the national government
 The responsibilities of this operation mainly reside in the hands of the prime minister and the council of
ministers
 The judiciary body:-
 The judiciary body is a body responsible for interpreting the laws.
 The different level of courts represents the judiciary body.
 Ethiopia, the highest judiciary power of a federal government resides in the federal supreme court
 The federal constitution has set in place a bicameral parliament i.e., the House of Peoples Representatives
(HPR) and the House of Federation (HF).

1.5. Ethiopia and International Relations

 International relation is a relation between two or more countries that includes political, social, economic or
cultural relations.
 Ethiopia has played a very important role so far in international issues.
 Ethiopia entered into formal and modern international relations after the battle of Adwa.
 Ethiopia is a member of many international and regional organizations.
 Ethiopia pioneered the establishment of the Organization of the African Unity (OAU) in 1963, later African
Union (AU), and Addis Ababa became its headquarters.
 Ethiopia contributed peacekeeping forces to the UN missions to Korea, Rwanda, Burundi, Liberia, Congo, and
Darfur, etc.
 The principle and aims of the FDRE foreign policy
 Article 86of the FDRE constitution provides six (6) major principles upon which the external relations are
based. These principles includes
 Protection of national interests and respect for the sovereignty of the country;
 Respect for mutual sovereignty and equality of states s well as international agreements that promote the
interest of Ethiopia;
 Observance of international agreements that ensure the sovereignty of Ethiopia and the interest of its people;
 Promoting economic union with neighboring and other African countries;
 Seeking and supporting peaceful solutions to international disputes
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2. Rule of Law
 When the laws that are applied within the state are above everything, including the leaders, it is termed as rule
of law.

2.1. The Necessity of the Rule of Law

 Rule of law is legal principle when the laws that are applied within the state are above everything, includes the leaders, it is
termed as rule of law.

 Provides that state power can only be assumed through democratic, free and fair election.

 Prohibits any government official to violate basic rights of citizens.

 Makes both the government and citizens to act only in accordance with the constitution.

 Promotes the common well according to which all citizens are guided.

 The rule of law also guarantees protection of basic rights and equality before the law

 in its totally , the concept of the rule of law is based on the principle of the constitution

2.2. Limited and Unlimited Governments

 There are different forms of government in terms of the degree to which their power is limited by law.
They are referred as limited & unlimited government.
 Limited government
A government is limited when there are some restraints /control/ up on the exercise of its power. the
control is affected by the principle of the constitution, called constitutionalism.
Limited government means
a. Decentralization of power
b. It promotes both political and economical freedoms
c. It is a government which political power is in the hands of the people
d. There is effective means of controlling the power of the government /check and balance/
e. The government is established through popular election
f. The judiciary branch is independent
g. Absence of arbitrary power and protection of basic freedoms of citizens, etc.
 Unlimited government means:
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Indicates the powers of government are not under restrain /with in the constitutional frame work/.

a. There is no bases of the protection of individual rights

b. It is a government that uses terror and intimidation/harassment/
c. No limitation on the states power
d. A concentration of power on the higher officials/leaders
 Methods of limitation of powers of government:
1. Separation of powers:- the power of government is distributed among three organs of government:-
A. The legislative branch: it is responsible for making laws. In Ethiopia this branch is known as parliament.
B. The executive branch: it is responsible for the implementation and enforcement of the law. In Ethiopia this
branch has the prime minister as head, the council of ministers.
C. The judiciary branch: it is responsible for interoperating the laws. It involves a system of courts.

2.3. Rule of Law and Management of Conflict

 Conflict means disagreement that arises due to differences that can be resulted from divergences of interests in a
society.
 Rule of law helps to prevent and manage conflict through legal means and established procedures before the
conflict turns into violence and anarchy.
 Identifying the commonly shared values, interests and goals is an important skill required for proper
management and resolution of conflicts within society.
 There are various mechanisms by which conflict can be managed and resolved. They could be formal and
informal in which litigation is the dominant one among the formal mechanisms.
2.4. Rule of Law and the Fight against Corruption
 Corruption is an act done using public power unlawfully and wrongly to get some benefits for himself/herself or
for another person, contrary to the duty and right of others.
 Corruption is a cause to violation of basic human rights and obstacle to socio economic development.
 In Ethiopia, the ethics and anti corruption commission was established in 2001 and the government calls on the
public at large to play its role in combating corruption and abuse of power.
 There are various types of corruption, some of them are:-
 Receiving bribe(inducements)--it is a gift (usually money) given to any person in public, position with a
view to induce him/her against his/ her official duties
 Abuse of power—it is to use public properties (telephone, car, office equipment and others) for personal
advantage.
 Embezzlement--it is an act of using money placed in one’s care wrongly, especially in order to benefit
oneself. Many people commit this crime in their capacity as cashers, auditors, supervisors, etc.
 Favoritism--it is an exercise of corruption of giving unfair advantages to people whom likes most
 Nepotism--is the actions of government officials who favor their relatives, often the expanses of others.
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3. Equality
3.1. The Importance of Equality among the Nations, Nationalities and Peoples of Ethiopia
Defining equality:-
The concept of equality constitutes the principle of liberty on the one hand and justice on the other. It is difficult to defining the
concept of equality. Nevertheless, some serious efforts have been made to offer a definition of the concept.

 Equality means justices; just treatment means the same treatment for all. Equal praise for equal achievement, equal
punishment for equal wrong doing.
 Equality indicates people in a similar situation must enjoy similar rights, privileges and protection.
 It also refers to the state of being treated the same as others.
 In the broader sense, equality means extending equal opportunities for members of the society.
 The history of Nations, Nationalities and Peoples of Ethiopia is marked by a struggle against oppression.
 The federal structure of government helps to address the problem of equality.

3.2. Gender Issues and Socially Discriminated Groups

 Gender issues, in the main, refer to determined patterns of behavior in relation to rights, duties, obligations
and responsibilities assigned to females and males in society. The cultural differences in a society shape how
gender issues are viewed and handled. The history of human society, for the most part, is marked by unfair
treatment for women.
 Article 35 of the FDRE constitution provides the rights of women.
 Disability is a major cause for discrimination and social exclusion in Ethiopia.

3.3. Equality and the Notion of Affirmative Action

 Affirmative action refers to policies designed to remedy the effects of past discrimination against women,
the disabled, racial groups, religious and ethnic minorities, therefore, affirmative action is important to
compensate for past injustice and discrimination.
 Affirmative action is a positive action from the state that enables the disfavored group to cope up with the
previously favored one.

3.4. Unity in Diversity

• Ethiopia is the country of cultural diversity. Despite our diversity we need to create a common political and
economic space and work together in the fight against poverty and backwardness.

• Unity in diversity is all about the mutual existence of different cultural groups.
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• A multicultural society exists in peace as long as all its members show mutual respect for one another.

4. Justice
Defining justices:-

 Justice is the quality of being just or fair. The concept of fairness is related with equality of treatment.
 It is a concept involving the fair, normal and impartial effort to do what is right.

4.1.Equity of Benefits and Burdens

• Benefits are material or non material advantages that are given to an individual or group.
• Burdens are requirements or responsibilities undertaken in order to gain benefits.
• Both benefits and burdens should be distributed and shouldered fairly. The fair distribution of benefits and
burdens can be fair only if a person or a group could earn according to their contribution in an activity that
brings benefits.

4.2. Justice and the Judiciary

• The judiciary deals with controversies that need to be resolved and sentences individuals or groups when
the law has been broken. In addition, the judiciary also has a role in sustaining democracy, defending the
constitution and upholding international norms and values.

4.3. Crime and Justice

 Crime is the wrongful use of power or aggression against someone. Justice in this regard is mainly concerned
with the control of aggression and arbitrary use of power by a person over another. This form of justice is
referred to as corrective justice, which deals with correcting unjust acts. The instrument through which
corrective justice is suspended is called Criminal Law.

4.4. Justice in Taxation

• The government levies taxes because it requires money to provide services and invest in development
activities. The primary and major duty of tax payers is to pay taxes. Payment of taxes should be based on
peoples capacity to pay.
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5. Industriousness
5.1. Respect for Work

• There are different types of professions. We need each and every profession in order to live a happy and
comfortable life. This means we have to respect every profession and realize that, without these professions,
our lives will not be fulfilled.
• Hard work is the only respectable and legal way to earn income.

5.2. Ethical Work Conduct

Work ethics includes:

 Labor discipline
 Punctuality
 Proper utilization of instruments of labor
 Working in harmony and cooperation with your co-workers
 Improving professional skills
 Proper execution of professional duties
 Ethical standards are important to build a smooth and harmonious working environment.
 Some professions have specific ethical standards.
 Labor discipline is a very important part of work ethics. It means obeying the rules and guidelines of the
work place. These rules and guidelines are usually designed to facilitate efficient working. For example, if
there is a dress code given in an institution, it is important to obey the rule because it shows respect. Not
smoking in the work place is another labor discipline.

5.3. Hard Work and Development

 By working hard it is possible to produce the goods and services that are needed to get out of poverty. We
need to develop the skills and provide opportunities so that everyone can work their way out of poverty.
 Hard work enhances your creativity, productivity and quality of your work.
 Creativity can lead to the invention of new things such as technological development.
 Technological development helps countries to develop and grow.

5.4. Policies and Strategies for Development

 Effective policies and strategies are also necessary for the acceleration of economic growth and
development.
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 An economic policy is a statement indicating the economic direction that the country is going in. The
economic policy states the main direction of the economy.

 The specific ways through which the policy is implemented are called strategies.
 The Ethiopian government has devised different policies and strategies that it believes will help towards the
development of the country. These different policies and strategies relate to the different economic sectors.
 The main strategy that the country uses for development today is called the Agricultural Development
Led Industrialization (ADLI).

6. Saving

6.1. The Need for New Thinking in Saving

 Saving is a mechanism by which people meet their future needs/consumption.

 One way to help develop the habit of saving is to transform the way you think about spending. This may be
related to the way you consume things.
 We should buy more locally produced products.
 Avoidance of wastage while producing and consuming is important.

6.2. Purpose of Saving

 For emergency purpose

 For social obligation
 For social needs of the family
 To increase income
 To make life more comfortable
 For future consumption
 For investment
 For education of children
 In time of sickness, disability and retirement and the like.

6.3. Ways of Improving the Habit of Saving

 When you get an income it is important to believe that you should not consume all of it at once. This means
you have to try to allocate some of it for saving.
 One factor that works against saving is doing things without planning.
 To develop the habit of saving it is important to avoid extravagance practices.
 It is possible to develop the habit of saving by limiting our interests to the level of our earnings.
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6.4. Traditional and Modern Institutions of Saving in Ethiopia

 In Ethiopia there are both traditional and modern institutions for saving and people use both. Examples of
traditional saving institutions in Ethiopia are Equb and Iddir. Modern institutions of saving include banks
and insurance companies.
 The money kept with the banks is called a deposit.
 Saving is beneficial for the society by providing financial resources for those people who want loans.

6.5. Saving as an Instrument of Investment and Development

 Saving is very important for the accumulation of capital.

 Capital accumulation is very important for development.
 The more money people and business enterprises deposit with banks, the more money they are able to lend
for investment.
 When people save money in banks then banks have more money to lend to invest. Not only that, people
who save their income can engage in investment activities themselves.
 Investment is essential in process of development.

Group Discussion

1) Explain the basic principles of the Ethiopian constitution?

2) Mention the characteristics of civic societies?

3) Explain the benefits of work?

4) Enumerate jobs which your community widely believes to be strictly men’s job or strictly women’s job?

5) What do you understand by the respect for work?

6) Explain labor discipline?

7) Identify extravagance practices that affect saving?

8) What are national products and describe the importance of relying on one’s own national product?
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