Civic Education To Make Citizens Responsible

Among many significant things in human life, education is one and has become more important than ever before in this day and age. It has prodigious advantages when it is acquired through various means. Historically, there have been traces of many time-honoured rules and regulations that ensured regulated societies and disciplined citizens in the face of rapid changes and astronomical advancement by deeply instilling the importance of citizenry education and its proper use.

Every country has its own accorded priority, and based on that, they hope to educate their citizens, develop their nations, and ultimately become examples for others to follow. Similarly, a difference can be persistently observed between countries that heavily focus on educating their citizens in comparison to an education-neglected country, where citizens are deprived of the needed education. Similarly, there is a reason for the variation in education levels in the above-mentioned countries. Nations that have provided basic human needs to their citizens invariably appear ready to extend other surplus facilities, as they have happy citizens with access to quality service, improved infrastructure, and an enhanced educational system. 

Critical roles 

These nations extensively focus on maintaining and expanding their existing sporting infrastructure, making their citizens further aware of their critical roles and responsibilities, and bettering the country as a whole, without having to deal with growing national problems.  However, resource-constrained countries, on the other hand, don’t have the same luxury of prioritising additional citizen-friendly secondary services at the expense of primary and much-needed ones. By focusing only on extra facilities with the abandonment of fundamental development work, countries risk falling into a cycle of never-ending poverty, unemployment, and political crises. The resulting outcomes of differences in the level of education and awareness are what ultimately categorize educated and uneducated countries.

Widely, and perhaps sadly, Nepal, a country with one-of-a-kind resources coupled with an availability of immensely potential sectors, is dishearteningly labeled as an uneducated country. If a country were to be assessed on the number of unique resources it possesses, it is a no-brainer that Nepal would have made its way to the top. The country has been blessed without ever being colonised by external factors, which in itself is a point of pride, and that pride should have been translated into meaningful development and an educated society. Yet, unfortunately, access to education is still a far cry for the majority. Furthermore, those educated personnel also appear uneducated by their actions and lack a civic sense.

Take, for instance, a couple of days ago, I was riding my scooter on a busy road in Kathmandu at what seemed like a peak hour. I was heading to my work with butterflies in my stomach, owing to my delayed commute. During my ride from my home to my workplace, I noticed how uncivil Kathmandu's residents have become—from people littering the street with packets of tobacco products to some appearing unbothered crossing the road on a green light, and that too at their convenience. I was left wondering about the lived reality of Nepal's civic education.

It is not only a grave breach of law that prohibits people from littering public places, but also a leading reason for potentially precarious accidents and environmental degradation. In recent days, many social media influencers have come to the fore to highlight the uncivilised behaviour of a growing number of people in Nepal. For instance, Ashika Tamang has become the talk of the town for her unwavering dedication and unswerving stance on making offenders and violators accountable. Through her praiseworthy actions, a sense of obligation and fear of wrongdoings can be noted, albeit only locally.

Traffic rules 

At times, many local governments have introduced various programmes aimed at educating people on traffic rules and regulations, the importance of sustainable agricultural practices, afforestation, and land conservation. Such citizen-friendly steps have also been widely emulated and globally discussed. However, it makes one wonder why it is not being effective, and many can be seen questioning why there is very little to no progress. It is not only the utmost responsibility of different levels of government to ensure that the country is free from pollution and that measures are strictly followed, but it is also equally the citizens' duty to take responsibility and follow environmental-targeted rules seriously. 

A feeling of ownership, coupled with respect for the initiatives, could go a long way in making a lasting impact. People should know that because of their unlawful behaviour and unethical conduct, such disciplinary actions and corrective measures are often brought forward and strictly implemented. People have been found changing their uncivil behaviour only after being presented as an example for others to avoid, whether it be Ashika Tamang's social work, through which wrongdoers are confronted and immediately punished, or a video clip of a transgressor engaged in a punishable crime. To sum it up, education is a cornerstone in the lives of people through which not only can they be made cognizant and changed, but it also contributes to making everyone responsible for their expected duties and hence brings forward civic citizens and their meritorious contributions for generations to remember.

(Silwal is a freelancer.)