Correct understanding of citizenship and democracy should be inculcated among school students, says VAllABH BHANSHAlI
We are so used to complaining and cursing when the roads are flooded, water supply stops, trains are dirty, schooling is corrupt or inaccessible, and over a thousand other things. Occasionally, we also laud the Government when we find a perfectly paved road, or when a convenient bus service starts, vaccination service is free and easily accessible, and so on. We react as if it is a favour done to us. Such behaviour is so common that we never pause and think whether it is appropriate or actually harmful.
While complaining or complimenting as a first reaction to experiencing a convenience or inconvenience is inevitable, a citizen in a democracy has to do better. After all he is the boss, the owner, actually, the only ‘owner’. The country belongs to its citizens and no one else. They elect a Government to run the facilities, such as security, transport, and education, in accordance with the Constitution, various laws and rules made under them for their exclusive benefit. May be most of us know this, but do not behave in a manner that befits the ‘owner’.
At home, if we hire somebody who doesn’t perform, we question, we demand more from them, and if need be, even fire that person. More importantly, at no point of time do we think that the task is not our responsibility — that we merely got somebody to perform that task and in any case they need help, we would happily provide. And if we find nobody, then we try and do it ourselves.
Merely because the country is large and the Government functions with many limbs and at many levels, the basic reality of the citizen being the ‘owner’ does not change. If you can see this perspective, you would also clearly see why some narrow-minded politicians would never remind you of this ‘ownership’, except during election time!
On the other hand, we have all got so dispirited with things not getting done and many citizens misbehaving that the thought of all getting together to demand our rights or simply solve our own problems doesn’t arise often.
The real problem is our defeatist and apathetic collective mindset. We need to fix this problem on an urgent basis. And the only way to bring about this change is by feverishly engaging with the youth — well before the negativity gets firmly rooted in their psyche. We need to follow the precept of ‘catch them young’ and start making the changes in our education policy, processes and institutions right at the school level.
We need to commence programmes and establish institutions which lead to a reversal of this trend and removal of this gap in our collective thinking. New policies and programmes, innovative initiatives and fresh institutions need to be established with a specific mandate to inculcate the correct understanding of citizenship and democracy among school students.
One hopes that if this is done in an intelligent, persistent and creative manner, then in a few years, this renewed effort of inculcating citizenship values will have new citizens ready to tackle their own problems or get them resolved. This new phase of renewal in education needs a whole new pedagogy using modern tools such as online content, smartphone apps, audio-video, activities, worksheets, workshops, events, and debates, all linked to the current Civics curriculum.
We also need to move beyond the curricular constraints and agree on a whole new expanded definition of civics and citizenship education. This new paradigm of citizenship should pervade all subjects taught at school level — not just Civics but also science, literature, history, and geography. Everything should be taught with the concomitant objective of deepening citizenship values.
All stakeholders need to be brought on a common platform — schools, academicians, Government, politicians, parents, and students. All need to be persuaded to accept this new education imperative as the new mandate for ideal school education. Dialogue has to move away from “did we produce the next IIT-JEE topperIJ” to “did we do enough to ensure that the entire batch of our students has the right citizenship values deeply rooted in their minds and heartsIJ”
That in my humble view is the only way we can move our great nation from a sense of apathy to ownership.
The writer is the founder of Desh Apnayen Sahayog Foundation, which focusses on enhancing citizenship education at schools