Moral and civic education now being taught in classrooms countrywide

Classrooms across the country have begun teaching moral and civic education to students at the nursery, primary and secondary levels as part of a nationwide effort to shape responsible and engaged citizens.

Minister of Education Sonia Parag has emphasised the importance of the initiative, noting that its primary goal is to produce citizens who are respectful, disciplined and aware of their responsibilities within society.

Speaking during an episode of the Starting Point podcast, she explained that this is a standalone subject with different curriculums targeting nursery, primary and secondary school students.

“At a nursery level, children need to know patriotism, they need to know their identity, they need to know their nationality and it is all towards nationhood, building cooperation, building unity, all of these things. So, at the nursery level what you will be seeing for civic education, for example, is a child learning what their demeanor must look like, their posture must look like if the national anthem is being played…you stand at attention with your hands to your sides,” she explained.

Additionally, they will be taught national songs.

“We have a lot of adults in Guyana who do not know the national songs. We’re starting it from a young age and it’s very important that our children from a young age understand our history, understand their civic duty, understand their responsibility that has to be taken for law and order to prevail in a society,” the minister noted.

At higher levels, students will be exposed to topics like democracy and community leadership.

“For example, Grades Five and Six going on to Grade Seven and later up on in secondary, they will be learning about democracy, they will be learning about how fragile democracy is and how you need to keep it strong and steady and how they play a part in that. How they will grow up to become policymakers, how they will grow up to become taking the responsibility of being leaders and decision makers in terms of how the community can develop,” Minister Parag outlined.

She explained that the curriculum was developed in-house, with support from stakeholders in the education sector. She emphasised that the goal is to produce more patriotic and responsible citizens.

“What is more important to me for something like moral education is not just placing a paragraph on a blackboard and teaching it to a student…that that’s not how it should work, because in reality in an everyday life, you have to live and behave in that manner and moral education will contribute to your behavioral patterns So the school system has to also incorporate in their curriculum how a child will develop in terms of their behavior,” she expressed.

The introduction of this subject to the national school curriculum is in keeping with a promise made by the Peoples Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C) on the campaign trail.

‘Civic Education’ to be introduced as a compulsory subject in schools – VP