CIVIC EDUCATION
The purpose of this assignment is to discuss the assertion that civic education is a prerequisite to national development.Firstly,it will define major words in the assignment and this will be followed by a detailed discussion of the assertion that civic education is a prerequisite to national development and finally a conclusion.
Civic education may be defined as the process of educating citizens of their rights and responsibilities in order to empower and motivate them so that they can participate in the governance process of a nation.Gutmann (1987:287) defines civic education as “The cultivation of the virtues, knowledge and skills necessary for political participation.”
National development is the ability of a country to improve the social welfare of people, for example by providing quality education, water, good transport network, good health so forth. Civic education is a required prior condition to national development because it helps people to understand not only their rights but their responsibility and the role they play as members of civil society. Civic education teaches students patriotism nationalism, civility, cooperative learning, Critical thinking, problem solving and decision making, all these lead to national development. Freire (1970:92) comments “True dialogue cannot exist unless the dialoguers engage in critical thinking which perceives reality as processes of transformation, rather than as a static activity.”
National development takes place when citizens understand public policy and how to monitor and influence public policy, and this can be achieved when citizens have knowledge of civic education. Civic education helps citizens to understand the importance of voting and staying informed about governance polices. Civic education helps citizens to identify problems, gather information and develop action plan to policy makers and how to implement their own projects.
Citizens with good civic education uphold human rights
Civic education may be defined as the process of educating citizens of their rights and responsibilities in order to empower and motivate them so that they can participate in the governance process of a nation.Gutmann (1987:287) defines civic education as “The cultivation of the virtues, knowledge and skills necessary for political participation.”
National development is the ability of a country to improve the social welfare of people, for example by providing quality education, water, good transport network, good health so forth. Civic education is a required prior condition to national development because it helps people to understand not only their rights but their responsibility and the role they play as members of civil society. Civic education teaches students patriotism nationalism, civility, cooperative learning, Critical thinking, problem solving and decision making, all these lead to national development. Freire (1970:92) comments “True dialogue cannot exist unless the dialoguers engage in critical thinking which perceives reality as processes of transformation, rather than as a static activity.”
National development takes place when citizens understand public policy and how to monitor and influence public policy, and this can be achieved when citizens have knowledge of civic education. Civic education helps citizens to understand the importance of voting and staying informed about governance polices. Civic education helps citizens to identify problems, gather information and develop action plan to policy makers and how to implement their own projects.
Citizens with good civic education uphold human rights
References: 1. Freire, P. (1996). Pedagogy of the Oppressed in, The Political Economy of Development and Underdeveloped. New York: McGraw-Hill. 2. Galston, w. (2001). Political Knowledge, Political Engagement, and Civic education. Annual Review of Political Science. 3. Gutmann, A. (1987). Democratic Education. Princeton N.J: Princeton University. 4. Mwaipaya, P. (1980) The Importance of Quality Leadership in National Development. With Special Reference to Africa. New York: Vantage Press Inc. 5. Putnam and Robert, D. (2008). The Rebirth of American Civic Life.USA: The Boston Globe. 6. Richard, G. and Junn, J. (1998). Civic Education: What Makes Students Learn. New Haven: Yale University Press.