SS 1 FIRST TERM LESSON NOTE CIVIC EDUCATION

ALPHA TERM SCHEME OF WORK FOR SS1

CIVIC EDUCATION

WEEK ONE 

TOPIC: INTRODUCTION TO CIVIC EDUCATION

Civic education of citizenship education is that subject that teach Nigeria youths their duties and right to become good followers and responsible future leaders. It indicates in them the right values, positive attitudes and behaviour that are embraced in the society.

Civic education expose students to necessary awareness of democratic values that will enable them make useful contribution to social – political development of their nation in particular and the world at large.

NEEDS FOR CIVIC EDUCATION

1. It inculcates in its scholars the relevance of nationalism and patriotism as well as solution to the multi – dimensional problems of Nigeria.
2. It inculcates in them the consciousness and awareness of democratic values, social political institutions and citizens rights and duties to the society.
3. To assist the governments in serving the citizens well by providing basic infrastructural facilities that will rise their standard of living.
4. To re-orientates the citizens to imbibe positive values that will assist the economic growth and development throughout the nation
5.  To educate citizens on how to fight for their right if any government goes contrary to the constitution.

OBJECTIVES OF CIVIC EDUCATION IN SCHOOLS

The school is a place where students come to acquire knowledge for potential actualization and self development. The following are the importance of civic education in schools:

1. To receive instruction and learn about emergency of issues; so that student will be able to solve them.
2. To emphasize the instruction of government, its functions and responsibilities to the people and vice-versa.
3. To promote inter-relationship between man/woman, man/man, woman/woman, the government and the society.
4. To assist the student in acquiring knowledge, attitudes, values and basic skills to become responsible and disciplined citizens.
5. To enable student realise day to day societal living at their critical age of thinking and reasoning about the happenings around them.
6. To enable student raise up and defend the course of justice when the government fails to perture their duties.

IMPORTANCE OF CIVIC EDUCATION TO NATION BUILDING

Nation building involves promoting national unity, national intergrity and national consciousness. Thereby enhancing national development for a country to develop, the citizens must know their rights and responsibilities and how to fight for those rights when violated by government or individual

The following are the importance of citizen education

1. It moves citizens to be particular in politics and social economic activities of the country.
2. It enables students to understand the government and as a result take part in the decision moving process of the country.
3. It reminds the student that democracy is the best form of government and by this, citizens are able to form pillars of democracy across the Nation.
4. It enables its scholars to acquire positive values that will assist them to be well behaved, courageous and responsible in their activities and relationship with members of the society.

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WEEK TWO

TOPIC: VALUES

Values can be defined as the monetary and non – monetary worth of a thing, but it is appropriates to define in the perspective of the subject matter – civic education. We may define it as the esteem quality of or importance which a person or group give to certain ideas or belief accepted and maintained by individual and the society they live in. value again can be the setoff moral principle and standard guiding our interactions with people in the society.

Value points out things that are good and constructive and this should be these instilled in a good or a active citizens. It solves human and societal problems like; corruption, terrorisms, cultism, thuggery, robbery etc. Its emanates from what a group or society accept as a standard of behaviour and ideals as it sources include the family, the environment, its people and so on.

TYPES OF VALUE

The following are types or forms of values

1. Selflessness
2. Hard work
3. Discipline
4. Justice
5. Love
6. Contentment 
7. Integrity etc.

SELFLESSNESS: This is the ability to work for and care for other people more than one self. Late Chief Ganiyu Fawehinmi, got an unofficial titled Senior Advocate of the Masses (SAM) as he fought and stood for justice and the eradication of man’s humanity against man.

JUSTICE: This is being fair, reasonable and right in meeting people. It is the absence of favouritism, bias or sentiment in dealing with issues of conflict between two or more people. From the foregoing we can say that human society exist without justice and be at peace.

Assignment 

Discuss at least four (4) values showing their attributes manifestation  

WEEK THREE

ACCEPTABLE SOCIETAL VALUES

TYPES OF JUSTICE

There are four types of justice

1. Distributive justice: this implies fair share i.e. fairness in what people receive on income, just recompense
2. Procedure justice: this is using fair process in deciding goods or whatever is distributed. Its absence can cause revolt where people demand for their right.
3. Restoration justice: it is otherwise referred to as restitution. It seeks to appease someone that has been cheated or a heartfelt apology to writing a wrong by converting all justices done to persons or a group of person.
4. Retributive justice: this is revenge, sought for when someone offends, aggrieve or betray another. He wants the offender to suffer exactly what he has suffered.

IMPORTANCE OF JUSTICE

• It prevent unnecessary conflict among the people in the society
• It encourages good relationship and interaction in the society
• It promote peace in the society
• It makes all happy 

IMPORTANCE OF VALUES

• They help in resisting pressure to conform to values we do not appreciate people of integrity do not compromise their beliefs 
• They help in gaol setting: goals are functions of our moral principles someone in the good values will set goals that fall in line with his good principles.
• They make us influence others positively. Having a mentor or role model of integrity one would as a result influence others positively 

WEEK FOUR

OPPORTUNITY TO DEFENT ONESELF

Judging an individual without listening to his side of the story brings unfairness, partiality and injustice.

Self – defence is protecting oneself against attack or something adverse. It is the use of force to protect oneself against someone attacking us. Every person should be security conscious in the society, hence, we will be protected against sudden adversities.

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BENEFITS OF OPPORTUNITY TO DEFEND ONESELF

1. It reduces conflict in the society: given the opportunity to defend oneself issues will be amicably resolved without deteroriation.
2. It prevents injustice: judgement is passed based on content of parties defence.
3. It promotes peace in the society: the society is peaceful in justice and fairness.

HOW TO DEFEND ONESELF AGAINST BEING ATTACKED

1. Being careful about the type of people you keep as friends
2. Avoid night clubbing apart from the fact that you can be vulnerable to physical and emotional attacks, you can be lured into hard drugs and other immoral acts which can jeopardise you future dreams and aspirations.
3. Do not use sexually attractive or provocative diseases especially in the public
4. Do not receive gift especially when you are in doubt of the source and motive behind such gift

Assignment 

1. Explain five importance of defending one self

WEEK FIVE

TOPIC: YOUTH EMPOWERMENT

Youth empowerment includes all various ways of creating opportunity for youth to learn and prepare them for future roles and challenges for adulthood. It involves encouraging and developing the youth towards becoming self-employed and financially productive.

It is a process of making youth gain needed skills for imparting their lives and the entire society. It has to do with provision of enabling environment or conditions which help youth to make important decision of lives by themselves rather being directed by others.

Various youth empowerment skills

1. Life working coping skills: These are affective, cognitive, and psychomotor skills useful for dealing with life problems and whose cautious accusation promotes individual growth.

They are also defined as skills we use to offsets the disadvantages of day to day life. Positive coping skills help us to get through situations at the same level as those who do not have disadvantages. Negative coping skills provides short term relieve or distraction but will definitely works in the situation e.g. using alcohol, hard drugs to supress depression. 

Some coping strategies suggested by Chesney M. (2005) in a British Journal. 

1. Break up setting problems down.
2. Sort out what can be changed and what cannot be changed 
3. Make a plan of action and follow it when confronted with a problem
4. Leave options opened when things get stressful
5. Think about a part of the government at a time
6. Find solutions to your most difficult problems 
7. Resist the impulse to act hastily when under pressure
8. Think positively to yourself
9. See things from other peoples point of view during repeated arguments 
10. Take your mind off unpleasant talks
11. Look for something good in negative situation
12. Pray or meditate
13. Get support from friends and families
14. Try other solutions to your problems if your first solution does not work.

2. Manipulating Skills: These are the skills in which individual learn how to handle object with precision in accordance with speed and control. It is the ability to manipulate things and objects with the help of body or art of the body. It includes physical activities like tossing a ball, kicking, typing, using scissors, legible writing, playing piano, the act of persuation. There are two types of manipulating skills (i) Fine motor skill (ii) Gross motor skills.

In relationships, manipulating skills can be strategies that are used to control the through cohesion (overt, covert) another person’s thought, feeling and behaviour. 

Manipulating skills include:

1. The use of power: this includes physical, verbal or intellectual intimidations or treats.
2. Unsolicited rescuing/helping: this is doing things for other when they do not ask for it. Such a person becomes indebted to you hence; they are forced to do for you in future.
3. Guilt: this is making others responsible trying to recollect your past favours
4. Weakness: been threatened to become helpless, fearful, needy, incompetent etc.
5. Intellectual skills: These are skills that need peculiar cognitive (thinking) activity. 

TYPES OF INTELLECTUAL SKILLS

1. Mathematical reasoning: this is the ability to analyse and calculate the abstract pattern. It includes the ability to work numerically with symbols and mathematical relationship
2. Ability to describe: these skills are thought a child in colours, shapes, sizes etc
3. Vocabulary activity: adult have this skills to use words as a result of their experiences.
4. Inductive reasoning: this is the skill to make generalization / interference on the bases of observation

4. Communication skills: these skills of abilities in the aspect of language, understanding, good communication and practical language skills involves exchanging information, sharing symbols like mathematics and languages. Information can also be through visual cue, tone, voice quality, eye contact, physical closeness etc.

TYPES OF COMMUNICATION SKILLS

1. Expressive skills: it is passing accessed information to another person. These is done in three stages:

1. Get the attention of the person
2. Convey the information to him
3. Check if he understands what you have communicated

• Listening Skills

1. Skills to manage the overall process

5. Artistic skills: this skill involves producing visual representation. They include skills like drawing, painting, sculpture, ceramics, wood carving, print making and mosaic etc.

ASSIGNMENT

Explain fives roles of government in empowering Nigeria youth

WEEK SIX

IMPORTANCE AND BENEFITS OF YOUTH EMPOWERMENT

1. It helps in developing youth potentials: This helps them develop the right attitude and skills that will make them contribute meaningfully to the nation building.
2. It reduces youth delinquency: It helps to reduce crime rate, negative behaviour and violence among the youths in the nation.
3. It helps in investing in the future of the youth: investment in youth lives is wise it pays off in the long run.
4. Promotion of self-reliance: Youth empowerment expose youth to vocational training of different types that equip them to be self-employed. They become employers of labours rather than applicant.
5. It helps in discovering and developing youth leadership skills
6. It helps in building youth ego and self-esteem. A youth may count himself useless in a society just because he is from a poor family, but with youth empowerment programmes, such youth may discover that he has a lot of talent and skills others do not have that are from a rich home. Such youth self-esteem become boosted and think of ways to excel in his life using the bundle of skills in them.
7. It equips youth with the skills to handle like problems: youth are thought various strategies to face life problems. Such knowledge reduces cultism, and other consequences of youth inability to handle difficult situations in life.

Assignment 

Write out eight (8) problems of youth empowerment in Nigeria 

WEEK SEVEN

TOPIC: GOALS OF CITIZENSHIP EDUCATION

Citizenship is a relationship between an individual and the country he lives in with full constitutional right.

Goals of Citizenships

1. To prepare students for leadership role
2. To sustain democracy 
3. To educate youth about their duties and obligation
4. TO FOSTER NATIONAL UNITY

ACQUISITION OF CITIZENSHIP

A citizen is defined as a legal member of a state with full constitutional right of that country we lives in. he enjoys certain rights and privileges and owes certain responsibility and obligation to the country.

There are different ways of acquiring the citizenship of a country depending on the type of citizenship you are acquiring. The following are the methods of acquisition of citizenship.

1. Citizenship by birth: This is when somebody is born between the tertiary of a country or a person whose parents are born in a particular country he/she becomes a citizen of that country.
2. Citizenship by registration: This can happen in two ways; by marriage and by adopting a foreign child. Ministry of internal affairs is concerned about marriage.
3. Citizenship by naturalization: A foreigner can decide to be a citizen of a country. This is a decision made by a foreigner to be a citizen of another country. He/she must have spent up to 15 years in that country before he can be granted the citizenship and swear the oat of allegiance in Nigeria. And after spending 15 years in Nigeria and is not up to 21 years of age, he/she will not be granted the citizenship.
4. Dual citizenship: This is when a child is born in a foreign country but to a Nigerian parent, then he/she is a dual citizen.

ASSIGNMENT

Explain five roles of a patriotic citizens in Nigeria

WEEK EIGHT

TOPIC: GOVERNMENT 

It is a group of people or constitution that direct the affairs of a country. They are put in place by people and it must possess political power. They maintain law and order in the society.

STRUCTURE OF GOVERNMENT

The structure of each arm of government depends on the operational systems of government in the country. In Nigeria, there are three tiers of government namely; the Federal of Nigeria, the state government and the local government. Each tier of government has the three arms of government. 

The Federal Government 

The federal executive is headed by the president and assisted by the vice president and others like secretary to the government of the federation and ministers. The make decisions for nation. The state government is headed by the governor who is assisted by the deputy governor, Secretary to the state government, commissioners etc.

The legislature at this level is bicameral in nature i.e. two houses; the House of Senate and the House of Representatives. The state government has unicameral legislature which os called ther state House of Assembly and it is headed by the speaker.

The judiciary is made of judges and headed by the justice of the federation and state judiciary is headed by the chief justice of the state.

Functions of Government

The arms of government are; the executive, the legislature and the judiciary.

The Executive 

1. Formulation and implementation of policies
2. Appointment of government functionaries like the head of government corporations, parastatals and agencies as well as ministers and commissioners.
3. Preparation of budget for the nation or the state through the minister or commissioner of finance. 
4. The chief executive (president/governor) assents bill that has gone through normal legislative process before it becomes law.

5 it protects the country against external aggression through the military their, parastatals and other necessary agencies.

6. Protects the life and properties of the citizens 

The Legislature

1. They make laws for the country.
2. They confirm and ratify the appointment of the head of government parastatals, agencies, ministers and commissioners etc. 
3. They amend the constitution.
4. They approve the expenditure sent to them in form of bills by the executive.
5. They approve treaties with other countries before they can be singed the executive. 
6. They serve as link between the people and the government as representatives of the people.
7. They serve as check and balance for other arms of government.
8. They have the power to investigate past and serving public officers.
9. They can investigate any government or public department on the grounds of corruption.,

The Judiciary

Their symbol is a stature of a woman covering her eyes with a cloth, holding a sword on her right hand and a balance on her left hand. 

1. The judiciary interprets the law made by the legislature.
2. They settle disputes among associates, group etc.
3. They determine who guilty or innocent.

4 They settle disputes among other arms of government.