Abstract
This study examines the role political education play in grassroots conflict. The study revealed that Nigeria has been played with ethno religious conflicts, economic mismanagement, political violence, electoral malpractices, military rule, lack of political education, low political culture and leadership. The study after highlighted the factors responsible for grass root conflict in Nigeria, it examined the role political education play in eradicating such endemic issues.
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
Background to Study
Ball (1984:63) defined political education as the establishment and development of attitudes to belief about the political system. This apparently suggests that political education is germane for both socio- cultural and political stability of any society. If individuals are denied access to political education in a society, such society is bound to face political instability. Fanon (1974:145) also had this observation that, when people stress the need to educate the people (electorate) politically, they decide to point out at the same time that they want to be supported by the people in the action they are taking. In this respect, a government which declares that it wishes to educate the people politically, thus expresses it desire to govern with the people and for the people, it ought not to speak a language destined to camouflage a bourgeois administration.
However, universally, political education is the power which destined to remove all artificial inequalities and leave the natural inequalities to find their true level, such artificial inequalities in caste rank, title, race, sex among others with nearly all the oppression, abuse, prejudice, enmity and injustice that humanity is now subjected to. For instances, we have India producing a Prime Minister from lower castle and United States of America-USA producing Henry Kissinger, the secretary of state in 1964, a child of a poor farmer in the rural area (Brinkley 2003:894). Likewise, in 2008 USA elected President Barak Obama who is a Black American. In this light, educating the electorate politically in any society will lead to reduction of ethnic and religious affiliations.
In giving analysis of discrimination created between political educated elites and non-political educated masses in our society, it is often considered that the masses are not important in the government. This imbalance between political elites and the masses is responsible for incessant crises faced in Nigeria. Political education encourages loyalty to the nation, fostering of particular value and it may increase either support for, or alienation from the system. It is particularly important in the degree of participation in political life that is expected of groups and individuals, political education is not a process confined to the impressionable years of child hood but one that continues through adult life. There are ways which norms and values of the society are inculcated into the citizens of the society. If some processes of political socialization are absent, the society would cease to operate. Political education therefore is regarded as the way by which cultural, social and economic norms of society are transmitted and fitted into the individuals in an organized way of life in the society.
Olatunde and Ademola (1963:50) see political education as:
[…] process which makes the biological organism into a human being and gives it a self. It is through the self that biological organism can behave in ways which becomes recognizably human and which gives it a sense of identity. Our behavior becomes regulated through political education, due to this; we now possess goals, ambition, values and live in an ordered environment, which protects lives and properties. It furthermore, means that human personality and integrity are developed through political education when education is set politically it is called political education or socialization. From the above, political education teaches the citizens the new programme and procedure of the government in power. When it fosters a particular value and norms of existing political system in a positive way, it therefore supports the government in power. But its propaganda negates the policies of the government it helps to alienate the people from the system
Statement of problem
In every human society, there is need for good government. And for an individual of such society to have a positive thought about governance and what government is all about, they must be educated on political issues. Political education, therefore, can be seen as the process of creating awareness or sensitizing the people in a society about politics. According to Ball (1984:63), political education refers to the establishment and development of attitudes and beliefs of the people about the political system.
Such practices as thuggery, political violence, and ethnic and religious sentiments are direct results of lack of political education. These create an avenue for politicians to take advantage of the low level of political education of the masses to use and dump them.Thus political education of the masses has positive effects of minimizing ethno-religious differences and cultural barriers. Such development will lead to peace and unity in Nigeria, in which public participation is encouraged leading to the breakdown of elitist nature of government.
Objective of the study
The broad objective of the study is to examine the relationship between political education and grassroots conflict . Specifically the study seeks to:
Research question
The research questions for this study are :
Significance of study
In this regard our significance of study will be both on the theoretical levels and
practical levels. Theoretically, this study seeks to highlight and widen scholarly perceptions of architecture and youth development. Practically study will be a response to the intellectual challenges involved in enhancing an understanding of the unending but continually and changing new forms of grassroot conflicts in nigeria.
Also, this study will be of vital importance to scholars on grass root conflicts researchers and the global reading public, and as such serve as a further take off point for future inquiry in the study under review.
Scope of study
The study is restricted to analyzing all the possible relationship between political education and grassroots conflict . Specifically the study seeks to , taking into consideration the the challenges and possible solutions.
| 1 - 5 of 96 Reviews |