Civics to be re-introduced into schools

The Minister of Education, Youth and Information, Senator Ruel Reid, has reiterated that the teaching of civics will be reintroduced in schools.  I am in total agreement with this move towards ensuring that the minds of our young people are embedded with the requisite knowledge about their culture and the core principles of citizenry. He has emphasized that national awareness is an important part of a child's development, and the teaching of civics must again occupy its rightful pride of place in schools. He also posited that students must be taught about their history, where they are coming from and where they intend to go.  

 As a History major, I have developed a greater understanding of and appreciation for our cultural history.  I am overwhelmingly ecstatic to be apart of this cohort of teachers who aim to ensure that a sense of national pride is instilled in our children as this Curriculum is centered around the guiding principles of  Garvey's philosophy to foster self-affirmation and social transformation.  This is encouraged as a noteworthy initiative by the Jamaican government through the strategic reintroduction of the Civics curriculum in schools. 

Citizenship education will provide a skewed curriculum which pays specific attention to the fundamentals of governance. It will provide the students with information that is geared towards developing a better understanding of and appreciation for the system of government that is put in place. They will be introduced to how the government system functions under the underlying principles that speaks to the democratic government structure. It will also cover the duties, responsibilities and importance of all the branches/arms of government (the legislative, judicial and executive) as we strive for compliance as citizens of the country.

It also provides an avenue for students to be acclimatized to citizenry as they develop the mindset which will evolve around the acceptance of who they are, an appreciation of their cultural heritage, their roles and responsibilities and how these will help them to become global citizens gushing with national pride which will act as a boost to national development through nation building. There is a transcendence of their point of view as they utilize this discipline to enact a sense of belonging and identity and actively participate in the affairs of their country.  It is then safe to say that Citizenship education seeks to inform students of all matters relating to their advancement through the systems. As learned persons they can inherently influence systems for the good of society.

"The ultimate goal is for our students to realize their fullest potential. We need to grab every opportunity to strengthen our craft as education practitioners.  We need to constantly renew our methodologies and approaches," Senator Reid said.  With this reintroduction of Citizenship education into our educational sphere, instructors must develop an awareness and full understanding of the core principles of the content in order to be fully competent and able to effectively relay the requisite information to the students. 

Contributed by:
Tyhishia Clarke
4BHSS
BMC Social Studies Department