Story of the country will never be complete if introduction of certain policy and moral teaching were not part of the written story, civic education was introduced into the curricula of pupils in different strata of education, reasons for this policy and history of the subject matter were discussed in the subsequent paragraph, sit back and patiently read through every line on this brief history of civic education in Nigeria.
History Of Civic Education In Nigeria
MEANING OF CIVIC EDUCATION
Civic education in Nigeria is a form and a type of education which aims at making people (men, women, children, and students) aware of the political system in Nigeria and the democratic system in Nigeria. It makes people understand the type of government and the reasons for that government.
Civic education aims at transmitting values, norms and the customs of the law to people, without civic education in Nigeria, a lot of people may not be politically aware and make it impossible for them to understand what is happening in their society, hereafter they become segregated and separated from whatever is happening in the country. Civic education has made it possible for people to know their rights, their obligations and their duties under the law.
For culture to be transmitted and passed across to the next generation, it has to undergo a process called socialization. Socialization encompasses the transmission and the way by which people learn new things. Civic education makes the citizen aware of any step and decision and step which the government takes. If the citizens and the entire citizenry are not well trained and taught on their civil rights, civil duties, and their civil obligations, then it will easy for those citizens to be bamboozled and deceived by the government.
Details On The History Of Civic Education In Nigeria
The history of civic education in Nigeria cannot be traced as there is no specific date given for the history and origin of civic education in Nigeria, however, it should be noted that before colonization took place in Nigeria, civic education has already taken place.
During the pre-colonial era, Nigeria wasn’t together as it was made up of different sections of people living with their own tradition, beliefs, norms, values, customs, cultures, and behavior both in different parts and places. Before the 1914 amalgamation of Nigeria under the then Governor-General, Sir Frederick Lord Lugard in the year 1914, Nigeria had an existing traditional system which had no form of western education but it was made up of an informal type of education in which training for effective citizenship, aspects of civic responsibility were taught in different tribes of people scattered across the country. The children formed age grades as they were taught on their social responsibilities and the youths were taught of popular and political participation.
In the traditional Nigerian society, a lot of parents wanted their children to be productive and helpful, they saw to it, also want their children to undergo a kind of training which will lay the foundation of leadership in the lives of the child. Such training enables the child to acquire skills which will make him or her accepted in the society and make that child acquaint and assimilate himself with the right values that will make him or her to function well in the society.
REASONS FOR INTRODUCTION OF CIVIC EDUCATION
The reasons for teaching civic education in schools is to make people understand and comprehend the facts of the law. A citizenry made up of illiterate people and people with no level of education will not be able to know their rights and their duties under the law. At times, the fundamental human rights of such citizens are infringed and violated by the government, without such education in place, the violation will continue and the citizens will not be able to enjoy the fundamental human rights which they are entitled to enjoy as a citizen of Nigeria.
Civic education in a country like Nigeria is concerned with the promotion of the knowledge and ideal content of democracy in the country. It sees to it that the values, the concepts, the precepts and the principles of democracy are being understood and comprehended by the people. Or every citizen to understand his role as a citizen, that person has to acquire civic education and know the entails of the democracy and the leadership pattern of the country.
Civic education makes the people well informed and active in the political process of the country. Democracy is a system of government where the people rule and select the people that will represent them, their views, their aspirations and their vision in government. Civic education gives an ample and equal opportunity and chance to people to have the right knowledge about the democratic system of the country.
A section of people in the country have no knowledge of the national anthem of the country, or the national symbols of the country, the name of their leaders, their constitution, the electoral system and the democratic system, not because they were no privileged they didn’t go to school or belong to a political party but that they do not possess civic education.
A country whose people are educated on their civic responsibility will forever remain active in the decision-making process of such country. When the citizens are not active in the political process then, a lot of people will be disenfranchised, and when a public opinion is being conducted in the country such as a referendum, people will not come out to say their opinion, and this will make the government confused on what to offer the people, and any government that is confused lacks a direction by which it will go.
The heart and the life of a truly democratic society rest solely on the people which form up the state and society. Civic education gives the idea of the role of the government, the functions of the government and how the powers of that government are being checkmated.
Civic education is not limited to a particular set of people to teach but it’s for everybody, everybody has a role to play; the teachers, the parents, the school, the mass media, political parties, pressure groups, the government and the non-governmental organizations.
Civic education teaches the students about the way which the government administers the country and on the ways in which the organs and arms of government (executive, legislature, and judiciary) perform their functions without any hindrance and interference.
Civic education should be encouraged in places of work and it should be taught in schools and in educational institutions because it makes keeps people informed.
CONCLUSION ON THE HISTORY OF CIVIC EDUCATION IN NIGERIA
History has been delved into, importance has also be looked into, fundament and focal points of civic education have been discussed above, a country with a civic education for her populace is destined for future destruction, violence, and defrancization of the commoners. That’s all about the history of civic education in Nigeria.
Related:
- History of Central Bank of Nigeria
- HISTORY OF NIGERIAN BANKING SYSTEM
- HISTORY OF DEMOCRACY IN NIGERIA
- HISTORY OF DRUG ABUSE IN NIGERIA
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