Meaning, Objective and Importance of Civic Education

Meaning and Importance of Civic Education

What is civic education?

The word “civic” comes from the Greek language. It means “people who live in a city or area.”

This means that civic education is a diligent decision by the government to educate different political communities or states about a variety of information, values, skills, abilities, and things that are accepted to their society.
It involves educating citizens about events and the acceptable values or behaviors needed for an active and useful life in establishing a balanced nation.

Civic education is a type of education designed for citizens of a particular region that focuses on making good, valuable people who are aware of the happenings going on in their society, nation, and world as a whole

The main goal of civic education is to help young people grow and develop into people who make a difference to their country and are effective, responsible, effective, and well-informed (they know what is going on inside and outside of the government).

In Nigeria, the Universal Basic Education Programme added a Civic Education subject for the below reasons:

• To build a great country with good, active individuals who are well informed of what is going on in their environment.
• Knowing what democracy is all about, the rights of the people, and what is expected of them (to foster and keep democracy alive).

Objectives Of Civic Education

We learn about civics for a lot of different reasons. These things are:

1. Turning Nigeria’s young people into effective and dependable citizens by teaching them to follow the law.
2. Teaching and getting young people to accept the values, norms, information, behaviors, and activities that will contribute to Nigeria reaching its Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
3. When a student studies civic education, he or she will learn about government systems and institutions, democracy principles and procedures, and other things like that.
4. When people know more about political education, they are better able to lead and follow.
5. Civic education makes students more aware of social and political issues, so they can make good contributions to society.

Importance of Civic Education

Civic education is a core topic in high school that is required and is meant to do some important things. Civic education is an important part of the secondary school program (planned activities) because it helps to develop good, responsible citizens who will go on to build their country and be remarkable citizens and leaders, etc.

The importance are highlighted below:

1. This subject makes it easier to understand the government, and it teaches people about government programs, policies, and activities.
2. It makes people aware of political, economic, and social issues, so they know what’s going on in their own country and around the world.
3. It is one of the most significant activities that secondary schools can do to change the way people think about their country and make it known as a great country full of good people.
4. The Nigerian process of globalization and the Millennium Development Goals can be met with the help of civic education.
5. It portrays how important it is to follow the rules in our country.
6. Civic education teaches us about our rights as citizens, the rights of other people, and our responsibilities to our country and to other people in society.
7. Civic education helps to promote values.

The Need For Civic Education

1. It is a public education that educates citizens and keeps them aware
2. To be aware of what democracy is and how it works, as well as what your rights and duties are as a citizen.
3. To look after our system of democracy and make sure it stays strong and healthy.
4. To teach kids to be committed, respectful, and proud of their country.
5. Civic education teaches people about the rights that the government gives them, such as the right to health care, justice, safety, freedom, and the right to vote and be voted for.

Different ways of learning Civic Education

There are many ways to learn about civic education that can get students interested, excited, and happy while they try to understand the subject.

Here are some helpful tips on how to study best for this very important subject:

1. Students in Civic Education need to be ready to read books about citizenship. They should encourage people to read, especially about what’s going on in the country and the world right now.

2. Listening to the news on national and international Television stations

3. Reading printed media publications: means reading things like newspapers, books, journals, articles, papers from seminars and conferences, and other types of writing. These are good places to find out about current problems and events in society and around the world.

4. Watching and listening to educational shows like debates, quizes and many more.

5. Observation and Interviews: In civic education, students can learn a lot about how to observe what is going on in their homes, schools, neighborhoods, communities, marketplaces, the internet, streets etc. They should also be encouraged to ask questions when they notice what they find confusing.

6. Organizing class activities: This is a great way for students to learn a lot with the help of the instructor or teacher.