Citizenship Education as the practical study and knowledge of the legal rights, virtues, privileges and obligations of citizens vis-àvis their role in the socio-cultural, political, economic and democratic development of their state/country is geared toward achieving the following goals:
1. Produce Good and Patriotic Citizens:
The knowledge and understanding of citizenship education help to breed citizens that are not only responsible and law-abiding, it also produce patriotic citizens, who demonstrate a high sense of love and commitment to their fatherland.
2. Defense of One’s Country:
The study of citizenship education helps to inculcate into the citizens, values, virtues and norms that make them have a spirit of national consciousness and love for the state/country to which they belong.
This spirit of love and commitment to one’s state/country makes citizens always stand in defence of their country against selfish interests by protecting their territorial integrity.
3. Equips Citizens with Political Ideals:
Citizenship education provides the foundation upon which citizens are taught and prepared for active political participation in their country.
It also insights and awakens citizens’ political consciousness and awareness through the study of the historical antecedents of past leaders.
4. Knowledge and Understanding of Human Rights:
Citizenship education is the foundation upon which citizens acquire knowledge and understand their fundamental human rights.
It teaches the citizens the basic tenets of how to fight and defend their rights.
It also enables citizens to know their duties to the government and government duties to the citizens.
5. Good Leadership and followership:
When citizens are armed properly with the operations of government and its agencies! institutions, they tend to stand tall in becoming good leaders and followers.
6. Promotes Democratic Values and Good Governance:
Citizenship education helps to impart to the citizen’s basic democratic values and norms, which when applied properly to the running of government and its agencies/institutions will not only enhance their operations but will certainly promote good governance.
7. Produces Law Abiding Citizens:
The study of citizenship education helps to train good citizens who respect the laws of the land, honour their leaders and also show a high sense of love for their country.
8. Promotes Nation Building and National Unity:
Citizenship education imparts core societal values and norms like tolerance, cooperation, patriotism, friendship, trust integrity, respect for constituted authority etc, which help in promoting national unity.
9. Promotes Democratic Principles:
The study of citizenship education also provides citizens with the knowledge and skill to understand democratic principles and processes and at the same time make them know about government policies and activities.
10. Educates Citizens on Issues of Global Concern:
Another very important goal of citizenship education is that it provides the platform under which issues of global concern (for instance HIV/AIDS) can be taught and learnt.