Developing a continuous and sustainable citizenship education

EVERY democratic society depends upon citizens who are aware of their rights and responsibilities, informed about the social and political world, concerned about the welfare of others, articulate in their opinions and arguments, capable of having an influence on the world, active in their communities and responsible in how they act as citizens.

Hence citizenship education should be seen as of crucial importance throughout the entire years of schooling because it seeks to ensure that students become active and responsible citizens, capable of contributing to the development and well-being of their schools, families, neighbourhoods, communities and the wider world.

Citizenship education is not just education about citizenship, which provides students with sufficient knowledge and understanding of national history and the structures and processes of government and political life. It is education through citizenship where students learn through active, participative experiences in the school or local community and beyond, thus reinforcing the knowledge component.

It is also education for citizenship which equips students with a set of tools (knowledge and understanding, skills and aptitudes, values and dispositions) enabling them to participate actively and sensibly in the roles and responsibilities they encounter in their adult lives.

Citizenship learning takes place in three distinct aspects of the life of an educational institution.

1. The taught curriculum

Every subject can be used to develop skills and knowledge of citizenship and personal development. All subjects include 'powerful knowledge' - ideas, information and skills that empower people to make a difference in the world.

2. The school ethos and culture

The general atmosphere of a school teaches the most powerful lesson any child will learn. Behaviour, relationships with others, attitudes, values, norms, beliefs (often referred to as the hidden curriculum) are strongly influenced by school life.

3. Its links with the wider community

Links such as school exchanges, engaging with politicians, police and community leaders, campaigns and fund-raising, help students to learn about and become positively involved in the life and concerns of their communities.

What has been done so far in Malta

An Education Officer for Democracy and Values Education was appointed in October 2003.

Schools were regularly supported through visits and the book The Democratic School was disseminated. These visits gave heads an opportunity to talk about the democratic practices experienced within their school and to discuss various ways in which the school as a whole, can transmit democratic values and build a democratic culture.

A survey related to participatory democracy in all state and non-state schools was conducted and served as the basis of training programmes and on-going Professional Development. This review showed that good school initiatives and practices of Education for Democratic Citizenship (EDC) in a number of schools already existed.

Staff Development sessions were held in various schools to help teachers and school administrators to implement the democracy strategy which was one of the target areas in their Staff Development Plan (SDP). Schools have been discussing how the democracy and values ethos should prevail in all interactions with students ranging from teaching and learning to participation.

In certain schools Staff Development meetings were held specifically on the launching of a student council and the introduction of a values education programme.

In the meantime two task forces were set up to study and to design ways of promoting a revitalized citizenship education for the 2005 European Year of Citizenship through Education.

One was composed of education officers and subject co-ordinators of European Studies, History, Personal and Social Development, Religious Education and Social Studies. Their main task was to see what elements (knowledge, skills, attitudes) of citizenship are already being delivered through their subjects. Citizenship topics relating to social and moral responsibility, community involvement and political literacy were identified in each subject and listed according to the form they are taught in. A citizenship education map was assembled and disseminated to the respective subject teachers.

The second task force was made up of individual teachers who in the past five years have participated in the COE in-service training on Citizenship and Human Rights Education. They worked on two programmes. One dealt with the planning of an in-service course entitled "Preparing young people to be effective citizens" held in July 2004 for Link and Activity teachers supporting student councils and other related activities. Its aim was to discover the challenges, opportunities and best practices to prepare students to become effective and ethical citizens and to share ideas, strategies and resources.

Another programme consisted of two half-day seminars for heads of schools to help them transform their school into a Centre of Citizen Education. The seminar was facilitated by Titus Alexander, author of Citizenship Schools: a practical guide to education for citizenship and personal education.

One of the core messages underlying the seminar was that active learning through learner-centred teaching and an empowering curriculum is one of the best ways of improving motivation and attainment.

Returning then to the busy environment of their schools, heads together with their staff drafted action plans for citizenship education.

A follow-up meeting was held last February during which the participants shared the activities they were already doing, or which would be easy to carry out by the end of the academic year. At the end a network was formed for mutual support.

Participatory initiatives in Maltese schools

At present there are 51 elected pupil/student councils with real responsibility within the primary, secondary and special education needs schools. These students are being directly involved in the School Development Planning.

Five schools have participated in the drafting of a European Charter for a Democratic School without Violence. The efforts of two students from Margaret Mortimer Girls' Junior Lyceum, Sta Lucija and Liceo M.A. Vassalli, Tal-Handaq were deemed to be among the best in Europe (most countries had only one student chosen). They were invited to participate in a meeting held in Strasbourg in July 2004 to formulate the charter together with other European students. In October all participating schools voted through an electronic procedure to adopt the draft charter.

For two consecutive years the Mriehel Girls JL, De La Salle College and Year 3 pupils of Leli Camilleri Zurrieq Primary A, participated in the World Children's Prize for the Rights of the Child often called the "Children's Nobel Prize", based on the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.

Those nominated for the prize are individuals or organisations that have made outstanding contributions to the rights of the child. The students participated in the Global Vote to determine the winner of the Global Friends' Award and are now registered as Global Friends of the World Children's Prize.

In conclusion, the role of teachers is crucial to the development of active citizenship and to promoting democracy through participatory approaches. The Council of Europe is calling on member states to strengthen the initial and further training for teachers and trainers to enable them to deliver high quality education for democratic citizenship in schools.

This is the second and concluding article on citizenship education on the occasion of the Council of Europe 2005 European Year of Citizenship through Education (EYCE).

Ms Vassallo is the Education Division's Education Officer for Democracy and Values Education