Education for citizenship is important because every society needs

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Education for citizenship is important because every society needs

people to contribute effectively, in a variety of ways, to the future

health and wellbeing of communities and the environment, locally,

nationally and globally.

Rationale for citizenship

Education for citizenship is important because every society needs

people to contribute effectively, in a variety of ways, to the future

health and wellbeing of communities and the environment, locally,

nationally and globally. Fostering active and responsible citizens

contributes to the process of developing a healthy and vibrant culture

of democratic participation. Whilst all individuals share the rights

and responsibilities of citizenship, regardless of status, knowledge

or skill, it is clear that citizenship may be exercised with different

degrees of effectiveness. The opportunities for learning that are

provided in primary education make important contributions to the

process of educating for active and responsible citizenship. At the

same time, the contributions of formal education need to be seen

alongside, and in interaction with, parents, carers and the media and

opportunities for community-based learning. Also, primary schools need

to take account of the diversity of the local communities in which

young people live.

Aims of the topic

The rights and responsibilities of citizens are reciprocal in many

respects. If we all have a right to be treated with respect, then it

follows that we have a clear obligation to treat all others with

respect. If we all have a right to a say on matters that affect our

lives, then we have a responsibility to attend to the views of others

on matters that also affect them. However, it is also clear that

per...

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...rnes.

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Circle Time. Pastoral care in Education, 21 (3),24-29

Kerr, David.(1998). Citizenship education in primary schools : a

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primary schools :

Stoke-on-Trent : Trentham and Save the Children.

Lister, I. (1984) Teaching and learning about human rights. Strasbourg:

Council of Europe.

Starkey, H. (1992) Back to Basic Values: Education for justice and

peace in the world, Journal of Moral Education, 21(3), 195-92

United Nations.(1989) Teaching human rights : practical activities for

primary and secondary schools. New York : United Nations.

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