Institue for Citizenship

Millicent Scott, Development Manager at the Association for Citizenship Teachers, tells www.guardian.co.uk why Citizenship Education is so important to the development of young people into young, active citizens.

You can see the full article at The Guardian Website.

A democratic society stands and falls by the participation of its citizens. Democracy is rule by the people; therefore the participation of the people is paramount to its success.

But what prepares us for democratic participation? How do we learn what to do, how to do it and whom to do it with?

Democracy is not just about voting at election time. It's about engaging in the daily running of the country and indeed the running of local and national communities within the state of Great Britain and beyond. In public life the media and civic society both play essential roles alongside the role of government. They help hold the government to account. But what prepares our citizens to play a role in civic society and public life?

Democratic participation is such a fundamental pillar of our existence that it cannot be left to fate or a series of coincidences where young people gain the skills of participation, voting, protesting and law-abiding by the time they reach the magic age of eighteen and political maturity. So how do we become active, engaged democratic citizens?

Imagine if we had a school subject that taught about democracy and justice, rights and responsibilities, and identity and diversity? We do. Citizenship education not only teaches about these concepts, it also teaches critical thinking around them, skills of analysis and understanding of the complexities of often very controversial issues.

Citizenship education has been an entitlement for all 11-16 year olds in England since it was introduced to the national curriculum with cross-party support in 2002. As a subject it helps put other subjects into the context of a young person's increasing rights and responsibilities as citizens. Not only as voters of the future, but also as citizens of today.

Numeracy and literacy are of course essential skills for any young person, but what is their use unless a young person also learns to be able to engage effectively with society? Literacy is essential. Political literacy is just as essential:

"Citizenship education equips pupils with the knowledge and skills needed for effective and democratic participation. It helps pupils to become informed, critical, active citizens who have the confidence and conviction to work collaboratively, take action and try to make a difference in their communities and the wider world." (The national curriculum)

Citizenship education is a complex area of teaching and learning. It demands skilled, trained teachers – just like maths or literature. Teachers must enable pupils to ask probing and often difficult questions about society – without influencing with their own points of view or political persuasions. Learning to debate, learning to understand another person's point of view, learning how our parliament and democratic institutions function as well as learning about justice (not just law) and the skills to campaign for a better world are all covered in citizenship education.

Some of these issues became particularly pertinent for young people around the time of the riots this summer or around the time of the student protests.

Nevertheless, citizenship education, although often delivered by excellent, specialist, qualified teachers, is also often not afforded the curriculum time such an academic and practical subject demands. Teachers often struggle to deliver it well, yet it is critical to the future of our country as a democracy that we have a population, not only able to read and write, but well versed in democratic participation, able to pose critical questions and take action to promote democratic practices.

The national curriculum is undergoing review as part of the coalition government's commitment to give schools greater freedom over the curriculum. No one knows what shape the curriculum will take after the review, but if democracy is to continue as a fundamental pillar of our governance and society, then citizenship education must remain a central part of the education we offer all our children.

The Association for Citizenship Teaching supports teachers delivering citizenship education in schools across the UK. For more information about the curriculum review and Citizenship education see Democratic Life.