A central aim of education in
citizenship and personal development is to enable pupils to become
'more self-confident and responsible in and beyond the classroom'.
Responsibility develops through practise, as members of the school
community exercise real responsibility for school life. At present,
responsibilities of children and parents are often limited to doing
what they are told. In most schools, children spend hours following
instructions, waiting or standing in line. Even learning
citizenship can be a chore if children do not feel empowered. As an
eight-year-old said recently, 'It's so boring when they keep
telling you that making the world a better place means picking up
litter and not killing whales'.
Citizenship Schools -
A
practical guide to education for citizenship and personal
development
Titus Alexander (Campaign for Learning/UNICEF,
2001)