Week One

Topic: Nature and scope of Civic Education

Overview

The past inattention of Education for citizenship has marked trend away

from Civics Education in Sierra Leone. Between 1980s and 1990s (the time

period that elapsed between educational Progress in Civics), the proportion

understanding of civics responsibilities on student in social sciences

dropped. That steep decline means that Sierra Leone must regularly

engaged in what is supposed to be the primary focus of the schools and

tertiary institutions preparing young people to be informed, effective, and

responsible citizens.

Societies have long had an interest in the ways in which their young are

prepared for citizenship and how they learn to take part in civic life. Today

that interest might better be described as a growing concern, particularly in

democratic societies. There is evidence that no country, including Sierra

Leone, has achieved the level of understanding and acceptance of the

rights and responsibilities among the totality of its citizens. In the past

decade we have witnessed dramatic demands for freedom on the part of

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and as we have seen military regimes after another toppled democratic

government. History, however, teaches us that few countries have

sustained democratic governments for prolonged periods because they

uphold their civic education as a pillar for sustainable developments. Civic

education therefore, is or should be prime concern.

There is no more important task than the development of an informed,

effective, and responsible citizenry. Democracies are sustained by citizens

who have the requisite knowledge, skills, and dispositions of Civic. Absent

a reasoned commitment on the part of its citizens to the fundamental

values and principles of democracy, a free and open society cannot

succeed. It is imperative; therefore, that educators, policymakers, and

members of civil society make the case and ask for the support of civic

education from all segments of society and from the widest range of

institutions and governments. It is relatively easy for a society to produce

technically competent people. But the kind of society Sierra Leoneans want

to live in and the kind of government they want to have requires effort and

commitment on the part of its citizens.

Sierra Leonean want a society and a government in which human rights

are respected in which the individual's dignity and worth are acknowledged

in which the rule of law is observed in which people willingly accomplish

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their responsibilities, and in which the common good is the concern of all.

Making that kind of society, that kind of government a reality is the most

important challenge we face and the most important work they could

undertake in civic education.

Education in civics and government should not be incidental to schools but

rather a central purpose of education essential to the wellbeing of Sierra

Leoneans. Civics like history, chemistry etc, is an integrative and

interdisciplinary subject that should be thought explicitly and systematically

from kindergarten thought higher institution.

Definitions

In its broadest definitions, Civic Education means all the processes that

affect people beliefs, commitments, capabilities, roles as responsible

citizen in communities. Many research study and program have found

substantial effects and most social scientists that have studied this topic,

believe that educational practices such as discussion of controversial

issues, hand on hand action and reflection can influence policies.

Therefore, with Civic Education, one can explore essential philosophical

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questions as, what communities we ought to see ourselves, what are the

full rights and obligations of a citizen? What is the relationship between a

good regime and a good citizen? What constitute a good and responsible

citizen? Etc.

Civic comes from a Latin word ‘Civicus’ relating to citizen, city and civic

duties. The history of Civics can be traced to the earliest theories of

Confucius in ancient China and was later developed by far one of the

greatest philosophical thinker Plato in the ancient Greek city of Greece.

These traditions from the east developed into concepts of citizen rights and

the application of justice, together with different ethics in public life. Some

of these earlier traditions are voting, taxation, jury duty, government and

human characteristics.

Henry Milner of Tufts University defines Civic Education as the knowledge,

ability and capacity of citizens to make sense of their political world.

Civic education is the study of the theoretical and practical aspects in

citizenship, it rights and duties, it relation to each other within a given

political or ethical tradition.

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Civic Education is a subject geared towards informing responsible citizen’s

about their political and economic system in their country as well as raising

awareness of their rights and duties as citizens. Citizen is further given the

opportunity to know their country’s political economic and social relation

with the outside world.

Civic education is the branch of political science that deals with civic affairs

and the right and duties of citizens. It is also the study of sciences of the

privileges and obligation of citizens.

It is relatively easy for a society to produce technically competent people.

But the kind of society Sierra Leoneans want to live in and the kind of

government they want to have requires effort and commitment on the part

of its citizens. Sierra Leoneans want a society and a government in which

human rights are respected in which the individual's dignity and worth are

acknowledged in which the rule of law is observed in which people willingly

fulfil their responsibilities, and in which the common good is the concern of

all.

Civic Education in a democracy is education in self-government.

Democratic self-government means that citizens are actively involved in

their own governance; they do not just passively accept the dictums of

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others or acquiesce to the demands of others. As Aristotle put it in his

Politics (c 340 BC),

"If liberty and equality, as is thought by some, are chiefly to be found

in democracy, they will be attained when all persons alike share in

the government to the utmost."

In other words, the ideals of democracy are most completely realized when

every member of the political community shares in its governance.

Importance of Civic Education

To understand the importance of Civic Education, It is important that

everyone has an opportunity to consider the essential questions about

government and civil society that continue to challenge thoughtful people,

helps citizens make informed judgments about the nature of civic life,

politics, and government, and why politics and government are necessary,

the purposes of government, the essential characteristics of limited and

unlimited government, the nature and purposes of constitutions, and

alternative ways of organizing constitutional governments.

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Civic Education enables a citizen to have civic knowledge on

a. the abuse or excessive concentration of power by government

b. Citizen rights and obligations

c. How to familiarize with the political system that operate in their

country

d. Citizen do familiarize with important legendary figures (heroes and

heroines) and other individual who activities formed a chapter of the

country’s history

e. Civic gives an insight of the country geographical outlook and special

features.

f. Civics enables a citizen to know the growing effect of the looming

global issues on their country. E.g. disease outbreak, deforestation

etc.

g. It helps citizens to develop a sense of patriotism and unity

h. the foundations of the Sierra Leone political system, the historical,

philosophical, and economic foundations

i. the distinctive characteristics of the Sierra Leone society and political

culture, the values and principles basic to constitutional democracy,

such as individual rights and responsibilities

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 j. Justice, equality, diversity, truth, patriotism and the separation of

powers.

The second essential importance of civic education is civic skills. If

citizens are to exercise their rights and discharge their responsibilities as

members of self- governing communities intellectual and participatory skills

are require. Intellectual skills in civics and government are inseparable from

content.

a. To be able to think critically about a political issue, for example, one

must have an understanding of the issue, its history, its contemporary

relevance, as well as command of a set of intellectual tools or

considerations useful in dealing with such an issue.

The intellectual skills essential for informed, effective, and responsible

citizenship sometimes are called critical thinking skills. A good civic

education enables one to

a. Identify or give the meaning or significance of things that are tangible

such as the flag, national monuments, or civic and political events.

b. Enables one to give the meaning or significance of intangibles, such

as ideas or concepts including patriotism, majority and minority rights,

civil society, and constitutionalism.

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 c. The ability to identify emotional language and symbols is of particular

importance for citizens.

d. The ability to be able to analyse such things as the components and

consequences of ideas, social, political, or economic processes, and

institutions. The ability to analyse enables one to distinguish between

fact and opinion or between means and ends.

The third essential important of civic education, iscivic dispositions, refers

to the traits of private and public character essential to the maintenance

and improvement of constitutional democracy. Civic dispositions that

contribute

a. to the political efficacy of the individual

b. the healthy functioning of the political system

c. a sense of dignity and worth

d. And the common good were identified in the National Standards for

Civics and Government.

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Social Stratification of Civic Education

In all societies, people differ from each other on the basis of their age, sex

and personal characteristics. Social Stratification in Civic Education is a

particular form of social inequality. All societies arrange their members in

term of superiority, inferiority and equality. Stratification is a process of

interaction or differentiation whereby some people come to rank higher

than others. Social Stratification means division of society into different

strata or layer. Social Stratification is universal as there is no community

which is free from stratification.

Social stratification on civic knowledge describes a society that has no

class of people and where all people are to be treated equals. Civic

Education on social stratification provides insight on how we:

a. Analyse inequalities in access to and participation: This will

investigate how social class and other demographic variables relate

to expansion and status and how these factors affect social group at

different groups

b. Explore the relationship between employment opportunities and

social mobility; Here new focus on the economy and globalisation. Do

individual from different social classes have different economy? What

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 are the consequences of these classes to the economy, society and

its foreign policies?

c. Identify the relationship between civic values and civic participation.

Values such as democracy, civil liberties, rights and duties and the

propensity to take part in various political activities.

Consequently, Civic Education must contribute to the advancement of

knowledge the bond the breach between classes. This is to particularly

provide a better understanding of the mechanism through which class

differences affect individual outcome and civic participation

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