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Dalton1
3485 Posts |
 Posted - 03 May 2006 : 20:52:01
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By Dr. Abdoulie Saine.
Political Education for Democratic Transformation of the Gambia
At a time of growing political activism among Gambians worldwide, the need arises to both underscore and enhance political education in the Diaspora and in The Gambia to push further the countrys democratic transformation. There are at least two important reasons in the quest for political education for Gambians at home and in the Diaspora.The first is the need to create critical awareness of political phenomena by facilitating an open and balanced discussion and analysis of a range of opinions and problem-solving scenarios.The second is awareness, or increased consciousness of positive political values pertaining to liberty, justice, equity, respect for the law, and enhanced personal and collective obligations for the public good.?It seems these trends in The Gambia and the Diaspora, as reflected in media outlets are on the increase and must be deepened.
Critical political education must be distinguished, however, from the more common Civics version that tends to support, reinforce and legitimate the existing political system in The Gambia and elsewhere.?The latter emphasizes factual knowledge of existing institutions of government, while its teaching method(s) devalue the discussion of controversial issues such as the distribution of wealth and power in society.?Most post-colonial states in Africa, including The Gambias have developed a hegemonic and an intolerant notion of political education based on a narrow state-driven/ elite agenda.It is used as an oppressive political instrument to further the official ideology of the state and the class it represents.This type of education has fostered dependence and authoritarianism and enabled dictators to prey on the poor and poorly educated masses.
In the best tradition of political education, citizens and in particular students are taught critical thinking skills, the relevance of historical context(s), provided the tools to assess information from different perspectives so as to arrive at a conclusion(s).Political education must also have as one of its central missions the cultivation of tolerance and the ability to present and defend ones position in a logical, precise non-abusive manner.?Such education must also recognize that opposition or a difference of opinion is not treason.?Citizens and students, specifically, must be educated to have an intellectual awareness of the political system and the inherently political nature of public life and relationships within the state.?Ultimately, the quality of The Gambias future democratic culture will hinge on the level of knowledge and education its citizens receive.
Yet, it would be nave to expect the dominant classes, especially those whose interests the state represents to develop a kind of education that would enable the mass of the population to perceive social injustice issues.The media, together with other civic and opposition political organizations, and intellectuals must provide critical and when possible, alternative explanations to the prevailing official perspective/ideology.
Gambians at home and in the Diaspora (and especially those that live in the U.S., Europe and other democratic societies) must continue to cultivate in themselves and others the democratic values of debate and tolerance.?We must learn to disagree calmly without necessarily being disagreeable; because to be insulting in a national conversation is to have lost the argument and perhaps your ability to convince and influence.Tolerance and respect for ideas and debates over ideas are democratic values we will need as we attempt to nudge Jammehs government, the opposition and The Gambia in a more democratic direction.It is these values that in the end would make The Gambia that we all love a more stable and economically prosperous place to live.
In sum, we must educate ourselves and others politically because education without social responsibility has little or no redeeming value.Thus, political education has to be committed to social justice and rooted in humility in order to improve not only ourselves and our families, but The Gambia and humanity as a whole.
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