Political education is vital for a progressive democracy

Solly Rakgomo | Monday September 12, 2022 06:00

No socio-political system can forgo securing its foundations by winning over minds and hearts to the principles, ideas, and common references and, beyond these, the myths which bind a nation together.

In this context schools or other educational institutions exert a strong unifying action as education moves citizens into a coherent moral, intellectual and affective universe composed of sets of values, interpretations of the past and conceptions of the future.

At the same time, it provides a fundamental store of ideas and information, a common inheritance, and the more heterogeneous the society or national community, the more significant this will be.

While adult educational activity may have a less unifying effect (since it may be independent of and opposed to public education), it does contribute to awakening civic spirit and a sense of social commitment, to arousing interest in others and assisting people to escape isolation, whether chosen or imposed.

It is so sad to note that in the case of Botswana and many other African states, politics, however, does not have the place it deserves in education, just as democracy is not given its proper importance in political education. Many people talk loosely of political education instead of giving education in politics.

This is because they confuse political or ideological indoctrination with preparation for broad, free reflection on the nature of power and its components, on the forces working in and through institutions. In such cases, the awakening of political consciousness and the development of democratic virtues are replaced by the idea of training docile and uniform citizens.

Many political organisations and educational institutions in Africa are content to inculcate political ideas instead of training citizens to understand the structures of the world they have to live in and to carry out their real tasks in life, so that they will not go feeling their way blindly through an indecipherable universe. It is important for people to understand that politics govern our life in society and affects many aspects of our lives.

It regulates what we can read, say and watch, tells us when and how to pay taxes, and administers everything from driving privileges to business activity. In other words, politics presides over us literary from birth until death. A fundamental element of politics includes a collective interactive process of governing society and making decisions for the welfare of its members. Politics permeates economic, social, and environmental spheres. Its influence, especially in terms of policy formulation, execution and enforcement cannot be underestimated. It affects the lives of every individual in society, either directly or indirectly. An educational system and political organisation that does not include a critical and creative study of politics both in theory and practice is disadvantageous to society.

Accordingly, Elone J. Nwabuzor and Martha Mueller remind us that politics is concerned with “who gets what, when, and how”. This implies that politics is usually at play in any social setting. This is contrary to the general notion of confining the domain of politics to public government.

Politics is about decisions made by the people regarding certain goals, which are considered desirable. Thus with political knowledge education, citizens will be in a position to recommend policy choices for political action.

Politics is the human interaction involved in the authoritative allocation of resources and ranking of values for society. It involves people engaging in decision-making on how to distribute resources and rank values. The decisions made are binding. In this case it is important to understand that ordinary citizens especially the voters are affected directly or indirectly by such decisions. Politics is always involved wherever policies are being made regarding the allocation of scarce resources such as educational, health or social welfare facilities.

Political system thus becomes a form of interaction through which decisions on distribution of resources and ranking of values are made. In this regard, there is need for citizens to acquire political knowledge. Studying politics will enable citizens in a democracy to appreciate how governments are organised, how they work and how ordinary citizens interact with governments.

Learning politics is very important and if included in all school curricula (from primary to tertiary) and within the culture of political organisations, it has a huge potential to enable students and citizens at large to take advantage of various opportunities for political participation and help build a positive attitude towards politics. People who are equipped with knowledge on politics will be able to participate actively and effectively in the running of the state, for example, by taking offices as Members of Parliament, councilors or administrators.

Other areas of political participation may include political debates, political demonstrations, membership in political organisations and trade unions, as well as participating in the election process through voting and presiding over the voting process. Moreover, knowledge of various political experiences is necessary if citizens are to critically evaluate political institutions and activities and thus engage in serious policy discourse instead of mere freedom square bellicose rhetoric.

When citizens are equipped with knowledge and skills to understand various political concepts such as sovereignty, state, political obligation, good governance, accountability and the relationship between the individual and the political system, this knowledge of political affairs comes in handy for citizens to objectively and critically scrutinise leaders and political structures.

Hence, citizens will be better placed to identify the types of political systems and leaders who would be geared towards the promotion of the welfare of the population. Such knowledge will help citizens to remedy and criticise the flaws of political activities such as rigging in an electoral process, poor performance of their political representatives, inept attitude, political rascality and as a result work hard to ensure good political performance by calling their representatives to account to their constituents.

African citizens must understand that political education for citizenry have a potential of bringing about social transformation. This is possible because a good understanding of politics among citizens will empower them, thereby enhancing their political consciousness and participation. They can hence participate responsibly in public affairs by advocating just socio-economic policies. By bringing a more fair distribution of resources and greater employment, they can become agents of change of the existing redundant structures, which in many cases are oppressive and non-inclusive.