1. What is character and citizenship education?
Character and citizenship education is a deliberate effort to encourage ethical behaviours and personal qualities that our society values, such as respect, responsibility, fairness, empathy and self-discipline. Character and citizenship education is not a course. It is a way of nurturing these attributes by promoting, modelling, teaching, expecting, celebrating and consciously practising them in everyday actions. It is woven throughout the school day for all students, through classroom instruction, extracurricular activities, and school policies and practices.
2. What difference does character and citizenship education make?
Research suggests that character and citizenship education has many benefits for students, school culture and the community-at-large. The potential of character and citizenship education, and the key goals that it fosters, include:
- a positive school culture
- a continued focus on safe schools
- a climate of respect for self and others
- better relationships
- greater self-discipline
- fewer behavioural problems
- more active citizenship
- higher academic achievement
- enhanced employability skills.
