Human Rights Awareness: Perspective of People in Birim Central Municipality

The study sought to examine how insightful people living in the Birim Central Municipality are concerning human rights. The study adopted a cross-sectional descriptive design. The quantitative approach to inquiry was employed in collecting and analyzing the data obtained. Questionnaires were exclusively used to collect the data, and descriptive statistics (simple percentages) were employed in the analysis. The study revealed that the majority of respondents were only privy to the right to own property; however, they were oblivious to other essential fundamental civic rights. The study recommends that the National Labour Commission (NLC), CHRAJ, NCCE, National Information Service (NIS) and all institutions intensify publicity, promotion, education and sensitization of human rights and civil rights awareness in the municipality and perhaps beyond. The study also recommends that citizenship education be introduced into school curricula since such subject matters are likely to give young learners exposure to citizenship-related issues such as the status of participation in civic activities.

Introduction

As long as they do not know about their rights, citizens of every nation cannot be expected to act in defence or compliance with the rights of others. Democracy itself is not a guarantee for the respect of human rights unless it has a universal culture and adequate awareness. In a global context, human rights are perceived as some sort of entitlement that every individual, regardless, is legally and politically obliged to have and enjoy. Education and timely information dissemination can create a culture where people will learn to recognise and understand the respective rights of others. This is by far the safest avenue to achieve a long-term and lasting solution against human rights abuses and establish peace worldwide.

There can only be a civilised society when nationals become aware of their rights. It can also reflect people’s recognition and respect for the rights of others and the urge to commit to societal responsibilities. These are standards that can only be enforced through the exercising of political and legal commitment at all institutional levels. There are political avenues for legitimately acknowledging human dignity. Ensuring equal rights and freedom for all people is at the heart of this legislative codification. They promote an expanded range of individual freedoms while guiding the relationship between individuals, communities and states.

The UN Human Rights Convention directs all Member States to show commitment towards reaching an overall level of recognition for and observance of human rights and fundamental freedom, with no distinction as to ethnicity, gender, culture or system of worship. This Charter was carved out of the Treaty of Rights issued in 1628, as shown in the writings of St. Thomas and Hugo Grotius and the Magna Carta. The English Bill of Rights also reflects this fact. Generally, people are entitled to specific eternal and inalienable rights. The concept of human rights is based on the assumption that every person has a right to participate in and benefit from his or her rights, which must not be infringed.

Human rights focus on identifying the preconditions for a safe life, such as the right to life free from physical torture. They also cover one’s right to quality health care and education. A series of international declarations, charters and conventions drafted over the last sixty years have committed themselves to this objective. The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), the International Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) from 1948, and the International Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights (ICESCR) from 1966 are arguably among the notable international human rights charters (International Bill of Rights) ever to be drafted.

Human rights instruments reflecting the particular circumstances of each region have also been adopted. African states that were supported by the African Union (AU) promoted the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR), according to Simuziya and Houlbrook (2021). This was referred to as the Banjul Charter of 1981.

Global events and lived experiences over the past five decades have intensified the quest for peace. A holistic sensitisation to human rights continued to remain pivotal in this adventure. International documents such as those published by the UN on human rights education during this era were crucial as far as worldwide educational discourses on human rights awareness are concerned. Knowing this, Ghana moves steps further to integrate a variety of clear-cut strategies to see to it that the fundamental rights of its people are well understood, articulated, respected and protected. These multifaceted strategies are outlined in the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) and the Constitution as Fundamental Rights, respectively.

The urge for peace through human rights awareness and education has been a key theme in the past five decades, thanks to global events and people’s experiences. A significant part of the worldwide conversation on education, which signals progress in setting up a global school system, consists of information from various countries about Human Rights Education. The United Nations made this known globally during this period. Sub-Saharan nations have implemented a multifaceted approach to guaranteeing their citizens’ human rights. Ghana is among the few West African countries that have embraced an integrated approach to seeing to it that its citizens exercise their fundamental rights to the fullest. First of all, the different rights conferred by the 1948 Universal Declaration on Human Rights were enshrined in its Constitution as basic rights.

The National Commission for Civic Education was established in 1993 to enlighten the Ghanaian populace on citizenry rights and obligations. Articles 231–239 of the Republic of Ghana’s 1992 Constitution served as the basis for its main mandate. Presently, the National Commission for Civic Education Act 452, 1993, underpins every form of activity that can be identified within the domain of rights education (NCCE, 2011). It is the prerogative of the Commission to make all Ghanaian citizens, students, and nonstudents aware of the objectives and principles of Ghana’s Constitution and to foster their participation in political life.

With its established zonal offices, especially at the regional and district levels, which provide a platform for their outreach to all communities, the NCCE has had a national presence since it was set up. The evidence that is currently available indicates that, in many jurisdictions, the NCCE has not fully discharged its obligations despite its crucial role in promoting civic awareness in Ghana (NCCE, 2010). A typical example is the low level of voter turnout in district-level elections for the past years. Historically, the District Level Elections have had poor turnout rates despite the NCCE’s stated mission to promote civic consciousness in Ghana. This shows that the NCCE is falling short of its obligations (NCCE, 2010). In a similar vein, individuals were unwilling to participate in community service because they remained distant and waited for the federal or local governments to address every issue facing their town. A reference to Article 233(d) of Ghana’s 1992 Constitution handover to the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE), the responsibility of creating, carrying out and overseeing programs meant to acquaint Ghanaian citizens with their civic rights and responsibilities as well as an understanding of their obligations as free citizens. But it’s unclear how much the Ghanaian people genuinely understand about their rights, given the increasing volume of reports on violations of human rights. Adequate literature and study findings on human rights have explored all facets of the notion, such as abuses, causes, and solutions, but these studies remain silent on the general public’s degree of awareness regarding their fundamental rights.

The Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) stated in its report on the state of human rights, which was published in December 2011, that several issues, including discrimination against women, child labour, child sex exploitation, and communal violence, are still prevalent. According to the Commission, it received 10,500 human rights cases between January and December of 2011, which accounts for 88.8% of all the complaints it received during the year in question. Once more, according to the Ghana Police Service Annual Crime Statistics (Ghana Police, 2017), the agency received 186,434 cases in 2015, of which 176,091 were actual reports of various crimes from members of the public.

Among the 176,091 cases, 55,624 (or 31.5%) involved assaults, 525 (or 0.29%) involved murders, 451 (or 0.26%) involved rapes, and 1630 (or 0.93%) involved defilements. Furthermore, out of the 201,936 instances that the Service received in 2017, 191,770 cases—or 95.0%—were reported as genuine cases. 191,770 actual cases were found to have the following breakdown: 57737 (30.1%) assault cases, 609 (0.32% murder cases), 514 (0.27% rape cases), and 1686 (0.88% defilement cases) (Ghana Police, 2017).

This is also the case at the national level in the study area (yet to be decided), where citizens’ rights have been violated in the form of molestation, abuse, and discrimination, and students’ rights are being violated in various forms. This certainly, to a very extent, seems to have impacted them. It mirrors their attitude toward civic activities. It appears that the citizens are unaware of their rights. In this particular context, the study aimed to determine the level of awareness regarding fundamental human rights among the local population. Based on this, the study’s specific goal was to evaluate people’s degree of human rights knowledge. It also postulated that civic engagement is impacted by awareness of human rights.

Literature Review

The Human Right Concept

Human rights as a concept are defined as the moral precepts, values and principles which tend to be common and are expected to be enjoyed irrespectively by the very people who seem to have them (UN, 1948). Further exploration of the term reveals some critical tenets, which include equality, respect for diversity and universality. The description of human rights as captured fully in the UDHR model (UN, 1948) seems to corroborate with the interpretation given by some early documents in the United States for the term. For instance, regarding the aspect of universality and equality, some founding US Charters put forward that rights should not only be absolute but should also be devoid of prejudice. In addition, they advocate for equal treatment for all manner of persons and that any deliberate attempt to prevent an individual from exercising their natural and basic rights ought to be prohibited. The realization of the universality of rights ignites unity among humanity. In a nutshell, contemporary human rights violations can be broadly characterized as disdain for these three essential components (Ferrara, 2015). Furthermore, these three concepts are more than just abstract values, as Simuziya and Houlbrook (2021) clarify. According to Graveset al. (2018), human rights are the particular actions that embody and represent these widely acknowledged and accepted ideals.

To Lucaet al. (2017), human rights are more or less an imprint. They are inherent in every individual, no matter the origin of the fellow. This suggests that one’s fundamental rights do not have to be limited by nationality, residency status, gender, ethnicity, race, belief, dialect or any social class. Dyer (2015) perceived human rights as absolute rights and freedom to which people are entitled. He went on to say that the idea’s proponents typically claim that everyone has certain rights just by being human. As a result, the concept of human rights is egalitarian and universalist. These rights may be recognized as natural rights backed by strong arguments, as agreed-upon standards of real morality, as legitimate moral standards, or as protected by national or international law (Kindermanet al., 2018). According to Mannet al. (2016), the definition of “rights” is the basic normative rules about what is permitted to people or owed to people based on some legal system and social convention. Rights are also the legal, social, or ethical principles of freedom or entitlement. While Georgeet al. (2015) defined rights as the social relationship’s contextual framework, which is viewed as a virtue of which a claim is made in society on behalf of the individual, other groups attach a strong moral imperative to the term, justifying it because perfectly possible well-being will have remained unachieved if it is not acknowledged and implemented. Human rights are a set of ethical standards that states and non-state actors must adhere to when treating individuals and groups. These standards are based on what society views as essential to a decent life. These standards are incorporated into national and international legal frameworks, which outline the procedures and means of holding duty bearers responsible and offering compensation to those who allege they have been violated in their human rights.

Types of Human Rights Entrenched in the Constitution of Ghana

After being published in the gazette on May 15, 1992, the 1992 Republican Constitution of Ghana went into effect on January 7, 1993. 299 articles are organized into 26 chapters. The Constitution is a human rights document, just like the other international documents we looked at. This assertion is supported by the preamble. A critical examination reveals that the primary purpose of the Constitution’s adoption and enactment was to safeguard and maintain Ghanaians’ fundamental freedoms and human rights. This is because the preamble includes at least one word with an emphasis on human rights in practically every line. A whole chapter devoted to fundamental human rights and freedoms exists in the Constitution, aside from the preamble and other human rights provisions strewn throughout the document. Economic, social and cultural rights, along with civil and political rights, are spelt out in the Constitution. It also acknowledges the rights of those who are weaker than others, including women, the sick, the disabled, and children. Similar to the ACHPR and ACRWC, the Constitution enumerates both obligations and rights.

1. Civil Right: A civil right is an enforceable privilege or right that gives rise to an action for harm if it is violated by someone else. It alludes to laws that are based on equality principles. It is a privilege that guards against societal or governmental interference with an individual’s freedom. They guarantee the freedom from discrimination and repression to engage in the civil life of the state and society. This right encompasses the freedoms of speech, association, and residence within one’s nation, as well as the ability to travel abroad and return whenever one pleases.

2. Political Rights: Political rights are those that entail taking part in the formation or operation of a government and are typically understood to grant an adult citizen the ability to vote, hold public office, and engage in other political activities. A fair trial, the ability to petition, the ability to vote, etc., are a few examples.

3. Cultural rights: These are rights about art and culture, broadly construed. Ensuring that individuals and groups have access to and can engage with the culture of their choice is the goal of this right. These human rights seek to guarantee the enjoyment of culture and all of its constituent parts under the presumptions of equality, dignity, and non-discrimination. Themes like language, cultural life, and cultural heritage are all connected to these rights.

4. Economic Rights: Economic rights pertain to an individual’s ability to labour, make agreements, own, utilize, and inherit property without infringing upon the rights of others. It is strongest when the private and individual sectors have a greater influence on the economy than the government.

5. Legal Right: It is a legally or lawfully guaranteed power available to a legal entity in realization or defence of its just and lawful claims or interest (such as individual freedom) against “the whole world.” Legal rights affect every citizen.

6. Social Rights: As opposed to natural rights, which come from the natural law, social rights are those that come from the social compact before the creation of legal rights through positive legislation.

Human Rights Awareness (Education)

Human rights and awareness have a complicated relationship. Depending on how human rights are conceptualized, human rights awareness may be viewed as a tool for enforcing political norms or as a catalyst for social change. Furthermore, there is a chance that human rights awareness will influence human rights beliefs and knowledge broadly. More and more non-governmental organizations are concentrating on educating domestic advocates, developing human rights curriculums, and raising awareness of human rights in schools (Renouard, 2015). We can learn more about the function of human rights awareness in society by examining human rights education methods and their framing. Expanding on this understanding, Amnesty International defines Human Right Education (HRE) as a tool that seeks to empower students to defend and assert their rights in addition to acting as a mechanism for the development of respect for human rights. This definition of HRE has a stronger activist component. This emphasizes the importance of active citizenship even more and the link between it and human rights education.

The intentional, collaborative practice of human rights education aims to empower people as individuals, as groups, and as communities. Its aim is to build a culture of respect and action in support of and promotion of everyone’s human rights. Human rights education can also be extremely important in creating social structures that uphold democratic values, support democratic participation, and facilitate conflict resolution. It can also give people a shared understanding of how to celebrate cultural diversity and fairly handle political and social differences. Additionally, Ramcharan (2018) explains the idea of human rights education (HRE) as an international movement aimed at raising public awareness of the rights guaranteed by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) and other human rights conventions, as well as the processes in place for redressing rights violations. By the 1970s, the majority of educators had expanded the idea to incorporate empathy or concern for people who have suffered human rights violations as well as critical thinking abilities. The UDHR’s preamble calls on every member of the public and every individual to work toward advancing these rights and freedoms through instruction and learning. The UDHR states in Article (30) that promoting respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms should be one of education’s objectives. A government is not allowed to obstruct someone from learning about their rights, according to the International Convention on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR).

The United Nations General Assembly established the United Nations Decade for Human Rights Education in December 1994. Human rights education, sometimes referred to as awareness creation, was defined as an ongoing process that teaches individuals from all socioeconomic backgrounds and stages of development how to uphold respect for others’ dignity and how to guarantee respect in all communities. The importance of human rights education, training and public awareness was emphasized at the 1993 Vienna World Conference on Human Rights. It was stated that these are essential for the growth of stable and peaceful relationships between communities as well as for the promotion of tolerance, mutual understanding, democracies, and conflict resolution. It can also provide a common understanding of how to celebrate cultural diversity and fairly handle political and social differences. Additionally, the idea of a human is:

1. “The strengthening of respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms” in the Plan of Action for the Decade,

2. The full expression of the individual’s personality and sense of worth,

3. The advancement of comprehension, acceptance, and gender.

Human Rights Education/Awareness in Ghana

There are two types of human rights awareness: formal and informal HRA. Preaching and raising awareness through door-to-door canvassing or community events are examples of informal methods. The formal approach involves instructing individuals within clearly defined frameworks. The official method of raising awareness is when it is ingrained in the curriculum of the schools. For instance, citizenship instruction in elementary schools. According to Jensen (2016), citizenship education is a type of education that fosters democratic attitudes, abilities, and knowledge. This allows people to actively engage in and address important public issues, thereby solidifying democracy as a core component of their lives. However, according to Greenhill (2015), citizenship education is a subject that aims to produce capable, thoughtful, caring, and engaged citizens who will support the growth of their communities and nation in the spirit of democracy and patriotism. As per Greenhill’s (2015) assertion, this subject gives students a more profound comprehension of the persistent obstacles that impede the country’s advancement. Ghana established the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) in 1993.

The 1992 Republic of Ghana Constitution (Articles 23 1–239) and the National Commission for Civic Education Act, 1993, Act 452 (NCCE, 2011) provide the framework for the NCCE’s mandate. All Ghanaian people, including students and non-students, must be made aware of the values and purposes of the country’s constitution, and the NCCE is tasked with fostering political engagement. The NCCE has remained a national presence since its establishment thanks to its district and regional offices, which provide a platform that enables it to connect with every community. The NCCE was meant to assist in fostering civic awareness in Ghana; however, historically low voter turnout in the District Level Elections (DLE) suggests that the NCCE may not be carrying out its mandate.

Civic Engagement

According to Gregg (2016), civic engagement is the concept of how members of the public participate in the affairs of their communities to better their own lives or to influence the community’s future. There have been conflicting results about the relationship between civic involvement and citizenship education. Forsythe (2017), Gregg (2016), and Erickson (2015) found that exposure to citizenship education improved people’s civic awareness or their degree of comprehension of civic concerns. A study conducted in South Africa, the Dominican Republic, and Poland, for instance (Gregg, 2016), discovered that while citizenship education did raise people’s awareness of the political systems in those two countries, it also strengthened the fundamental democratic tenets of political efficacy and political tolerance in all three nations.

Tibbitts (2018) reaffirmed that a lack of civic awareness has led to a decrease in civic involvement. He emphasized that a deficiency in civic literacy has led to a reduced level of civic engagement in crucial areas such as volunteering and voting. Countries have been motivated by this research to look for ways to improve civic involvement and civic awareness by integrating civic activities into the school curriculum. Nonetheless, a strong positive association has been found by Ramcharan (2018) between many indicators of good civic activity and higher education. For instance, Erickson (2015), Solomon (2018), Adamu (2018), and Mausi (2021) have noted that education is useful in fostering the quantity and calibre of civic engagement.

In a similar vein, Solomon (2020) contends that political engagement and support for democratic principles are fostered by civic knowledge. He makes the argument that those with greater civic understanding participate in civic and political activities more frequently and are less prone to harbour a generalized mistrust or dread of public life. After realizing the potential role citizenship education can play in reversing this decline in citizens’ civic awareness and engagement, the majority of developed and developing nations have begun examining their curricula to make citizenship education a core subject, especially at the basic education level (Erickson, 2015). Furthermore, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has funded citizenship education because of its critical function in preparing young people for social roles in society through knowledge, skills, and positive attitudes (Adamu, 2018). The fact that citizenship education is valued so highly suggests that it is the answer to the public’s disinterest in civic engagement. In their study, Lucaet al. (2017) discovered a favourable correlation between increased civic education levels and increased political knowledge. They said that data from the Civic Education and Political Engagement Study demonstrates that, except for the presidential succession item, individuals lacking classroom citizenship education possess significantly less fundamental knowledge about politics and government than those who have completed a civics or social studies course.

According to Dyer (2015), informed citizens who acquire and apply civic skills make better citizens of a democracy. He goes on to say that increased political engagement is a result of political awareness. Mannet al. (2016) assert that individuals who opted to enrol in civics, politics, or social studies classes demonstrated significantly higher levels of engagement with community affairs and politics compared to other young people, based on a variety of civic engagement indicators. They made the following arguments: those who say they recently decided to enrol in a civics or social studies class are more likely than other young people who don’t; they also say they have recently volunteered; they trust the government and other people; they have made ethical or political decisions when making purchases; they think voting is important; and they are registered to vote. This suggests that political participation and civic education are positively correlated.

Similarly, Graveset al. (2018) found that the citizenship education program in Thailand raised youths’ chances of participating in politics and other facets of society. While some research has found a positive correlation between civic engagement and citizenship education, other research has found contradictory findings (Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance). Gregg (2016), For instance, says the paradox of participation has been used to describe the situation of declining political engagement in the face of increased educational attainment. More perplexing (Forsythe, 2017) is the fact that the youngest age group in the population, who also happens to have the highest average level of education, is the focus of the fall in civic indices, including voter turnout. Tibbitts (2018) suggests that despite significant advancements in the formal educational achievements of the American people over the last 50 years, there has been no improvement in levels of political awareness. According to him, the level of political knowledge among college graduates now is not greater than that of high school graduates in the 1950s. According to Adamu (2018), elections in Southern Africa, such as the Mozambique elections of 2004 and 2009, have experienced a significantly low voter turnout of less than 50%.

Method

The research design used in the study was a cross-sectional survey. This involved using a survey method to collect information from a relatively large sample at one particular point in time so that the researcher could generalize results to the population. Furthermore, to describe the phenomena as they naturally exist, the researcher employed the descriptive design. The study focused on assessing people’s knowledge level of human rights. It also aimed at testing whether or not an awareness of human rights has a significant effect on civic activities. The study relied on responses obtained through structured questionnaires to provide answers to the formulated questions. The instrument was self-administered. That is, the items were read out to respondents and explained to them accordingly. A two-point response scale (Yes/No) was adopted to gather data from the sampled respondents. The selection process used only one type of sampling frame, known as systematic sampling. It was applied to select 200 responders. The questionnaire’s results were input into the SSPS program, where they were descriptively analyzed using bar charts and frequencies. The SPSS program and the Cronbach’s Alpha coefficient were used to evaluate the instrument’s reliability. As per the findings of Haubrich and Santos (2000), an instrument used for data collection is deemed reliable if the coefficient is greater than 0.7; if it remains below that threshold, the instrument is not considered reliable. Based on the estimated Cronbach alpha value, the research instruments were deemed appropriate for data collection. However, experts, supervisors, teachers, coworkers, and students were consulted for recommendations before they were used to ensure the validity of the instruments. To assess the content appropriateness and semantic clarity of the questions, they were once more piloted in the Eastern Region’s Birim North District. The teacher’s feedback led to changes in the wording and format of a few questions. The study took certain ethical factors into account. This includes giving the respondents a thorough explanation of the study’s objectives. Furthermore, permissions were obtained from participants before requiring them to respond to questionnaire questions. They were informed of their voluntariness about the study. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, the researcher ensured respondents’ confidentiality by protecting their anonymity and privacy.

Results and Discussion

Table I shows the results obtained for the civil rights type that respondents are privy to and enjoy. The results suggest that respondents living in Birim Central Municipality have a plethora of civil rights. It appears that respondents were either not familiar with most of the civil rights or they enjoyed only a handful of civil rights. From the results, there is a clear indication that the majority of the respondents alluded to the claim that they have the right to own property (171; 85.5%). Despite respondents’ claim of not having access to other forms of civil rights, it appears, based on the results, that they cannot access freedom from discrimination (182; 91%).

Table I. Forms of Civil Rights (N = 200)

Category	Response	Frequency	Percentage
Right to freedom and equality in dignity and right	Yes	48	24.0
	No	152	76.0
Freedom from discrimination	Yes	18	9.0
	No	182	91.0
Right to life, liberty, and security of persons	Yes	31	16.5
	No	169	84.5
Right to freedom from slavery and servitude	Yes	54	27.0
	No	146	73.0
Right to freedom from torture and degrading treatment	Yes	77	39.5
	No	123	61.5
Right to freedom from arbitrary arrest or exile	Yes	71	35.5
	No	129	64.5
Freedom from interference with privacy including home, family, and correspondence	Yes	41	21.5
	No	159	79.5
Right to freedom from movement and residence in one’s own country and to leave and return at will	Yes	58	29.0
	No	142	71.0
Right to nationality and freedom to change it	Yes	66	33.0
	No	134	67.0
Right to own property	Yes	171	85.5
	No	29	14.5

There are other equally significant civil rights that respondents claimed they do not know and, as a result, believe that they enjoy them. These rights include the right to life, liberty and security of persons (169; 84%), freedom from interference with privacy including home, family and correspondence (159; 79.5%), right to freedom and equality in dignity and right (152; 76.0%), right to freedom from slavery and servitude (146; 73%), and right to freedom from movement and residence in one’s own country and to leave and return at will (142; 71.0%). Other essential civil rights reflected among those respondents stated they were unaware of. These were the right to nationality and freedom to change it (134; 67%), the right to freedom from arbitrary arrest and exile (129; 64.5%) and the right to freedom from torture or degrading treatment (123; 61.5%).

The findings seem to communicate that more civil rights remain in the shadows of respondents’ knowledge. It appears that respondents are familiar with only a few civil rights. It is either they do not know of their existence, or these rights are completely missing out on the many civil rights citizens are mandated to enjoy. Based on the findings, it can be deduced that the people of Birim Central Municipality are aware of their right to own property but continue to remain oblivious to most of their civil rights. These findings align with Gregg (2016), who found that most individuals are only aware of their right to participate in political processes but lack an awareness of other civic entitlements.

Recommendations

The institutions of government responsible for the promotion, protection and education of Ghanaians on their rights, such as the Labour Commission, CHRAJ, NCCE, and National Information Service, should design beneficial and interesting publicity activities to educate the Ghanaian public on human rights through a wide range of means. For example, drama and discussions on human rights could be done on television programmes. There may also be the need for local language version programmes. Given that individuals who receive citizenship education are more likely to possess a heightened understanding of civic matters and actively engage in community service than those without such education, it is imperative to incorporate civic issues into the educational curriculum at all levels of schooling in the nation.