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| Civic literacy for conscious political participation | | | Jaibans Singh | 3/5/2018 10:40:03 PM |
| A constitutional democracy is in serious trouble if its citizenry does not have a certain degree of education and civic literacy. When we talk of third eye of lord Shiva, it does not mean that actually lord having a third eye physically but it is regarded as an eye of wisdom that symbolizes his spiritual wisdom and power. Education is none other than third eye and material to augment our knowledge and wisdom that helps us to develop our ideas and concept. It is the tool to comprehend between wrong and right. Education is a medium through which we can interact with different people and share our ideas that promote the true sense of democracy. Civic education is the Knowledge of politics, political consciousness and political participation that can be viewed as the main objectives in modern democracies. The main objective of civic education is to educate society to become mature and capable citizens. Democratic societies depend on civic education and political commitment. The civic education plays a crucial role in the political culture of a modern democracy that is a system of government by the whole population or all the eligible members of a state, typically through elected representatives. An awakened civil society not only prevents the abuse or excessive concentration of power by government; the organizations of civil society serve as public laboratories in which denizens learn democracy by doing it. Democracies are sustained by citizens who have the requisite knowledge, skills, and dispositions. Democratic self government means that citizens are actively involved in their own governance; they do not just passively accept the dictums of others or acquiesce to the demands of others. Democracy is a dialogue, a discussion, a deliberative process in which citizens engage riding on the wings of civic education. Democracy is not simply a license to indulge individual vagary and propensity. It is also holding oneself accountable to some reasonable degree for the conditions of peace and chaos that impact the lives of those who inhabit one's beloved extended community. As citizens of this democracy, we are the rulers and the ruled, the lawgivers and the law-abiding, the beginning and the end. When we talk of civic education, it is a way to promote and enlighten responsible citizenry committed to democratic principles. Civic education is a means to actively engage people in the practice of democracy. Civic education means the civilization of a human being and aims to impact the behavior of individuals. It is the discipline of knowledge, dealing with the day-to-day affairs of the state and its citizens. Civic education is essential to sustain our constitutional democracy. It is education in self government. The purpose of civic education in a democratic society is to instill the values of cooperation, fairness and justice into the hearts of citizens. These values are essential to maintaining and improving a functioning democracy in any country. Civic Values are the values we learn to respect as citizens, as set forth in the Declaration of Independence and the Preamble to the Constitution. All people are created equal. Good civic education seeks to develop competence in explaining and analyzing. If citizens can explain how something should work, civil administration system, the legal system, or the system of checks and balances, they will be more able to detect and help correct malfunctions. The ultimate goal of civic education is to encourage the ability and willingness of political participation by providing information and the basis to make conscientious judgments. Societies have long had an interest in the ways in which their young are prepared for citizenship and in how they learn to take part in civic life in democratic set up. Today that interest might better be described as a concern-in fact as a growing concern, particularly in democratic societies. There is evidence aplenty that no country, including our India, has achieved the level of understanding and acceptance of the rights and responsibilities among the totality of its citizens that is required for the maintenance and improvement of any democracy. There is no more important task than the development of an informed, effective, and responsible citizenry in democracy. Civic education empowers us to be well-informed, active citizens and gives us the opportunity to change the world around us. It is a vital part of any democracy, and equips ordinary people with knowledge about our democracy and our Constitution. We come to understand our role and responsibility as active citizens.
It is the study of the rights and duties of citizenship also the duties of citizens to each other as members of a political body and to the government. Civic education empowers us to be well informed, active citizens and gives us the opportunity to change the world around us. It is vital part of any democracy, and equips ordinary people with knowledge about our democracy and our constitution. While the government is studying and funding and organizing its big thought, nothing is being done. But the citizen empowered as a result of civic education and who is willing to think little, and, accepting the discipline of that, to go ahead on his own, is already solving the problem. All nationals should receive national civic education as national education emphases on patriotic rituals. Individuals should realize that they have of multiple identities and they are in various territorial spheres of life. What are our rights and responsibilities as citizens of a neighborhood, a city, a state, a country? These important questions should have a definite answer once one pass out from the college and the civic education makes one competent enough to deliberate on the questions in an analytical form. Therefore civic education should be a prime concern. Civic education and civic responsibility should be taught in elementary school. When we talk of civic education we have civic responsibilities associated with civic education. Civic responsibility has existed for centuries in society; it was officially sanctioned as a blueprint for democracy in 1787 by the ratification of the United States Constitution. The civic responsibility comprised of actions associated with democratic governance and social participation. The importance of civic responsibility is paramount to the success of democracy and civic responsibility is to uphold certain democratic values written in the ruling document i.e. constitution. Civic means relating to, or belonging to a city, a citizen, or citizenship, municipal or civil society. Responsibility refers to the state or quality of being responsible or something for which one is responsible such as a duty or obligation. Civic responsibility is that duty which every citizen of this country, to respect the law, be involved in our communities, preserve the Constitution, safeguard the Republic, watch over our government, and seek out and elect good leaders to represent us. Politics is the result of what happens when not enough of us fulfill that duty. Politics is a product of pride, worldliness, and a lust for power. The importance of civic education in elections is paramount. In election, civic education ensure that all constituents-men and women alike-understand their rights, their political system, the contests they are being asked to decide, and how and where to vote. |
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