Some out-of-school youth in the Lower River Region (LRR) of The Gambia were recently trained by the nation’s constitutionally mandated independent non-partisan Council established to design, co-ordinate and implement Civic Education programmes in The Gambia
The National Council for Civic Education (NCCE) organised the training, which focused on leadership, civic rights and duties, for those out-of-school LRR youth with the aim of enhancing their understanding of these pertinent concepts.
In an exclusive telephone interview with the Programme Manager of the NCCE, Mr.Yusupha Bojang, he dilated on the purpose of that training for rural youth at this stage of the country’s democratisation process.
Bojang said they had concluded a similar civic dialogue with local and traditional authorities, on women and youth participation in decision-making [process] and peace building on the Fifth Anniversary of the UN Security Council adopted Resolution 2250 on youth, peace and security (YPS).
The Resolution recognizes the contributions of young people to peace building efforts and broadens the call for the inclusion of youth in the entire development and peace building processes of countries.
“It is an understatement to say that young people are the cream of society and have [a] critical role to play in the prevention and resolution of conflicts and peace building,” underlined the NCCE senior official.
According to Programme Manager Bojang, the 2016 presidential election put an end to the two decades rule of the former regime, and brought in a new political dispensation which, he admitted, has proven that establishing and sustaining democratic rule anchored on the principles of freedom and rule of law could be quite challenging as being currently experienced in the new political life of the country-fondly called the New Gambia.
He pointed to the effect that, indistinct understanding of the meaning and practice of democracy has an “injurious impact” on the future of this country as uninformed citizens with scanty knowledge of how to exercise their democratic rights, use derogatory remarks in the discussion of politics, and that results to some ill-behaviours and isolated cases of high tensions or fracas in different parts of the nation.
“This tends to discourage free and fair participation in political processes and encourages citizens to entertain the notion that democracy is divisive and a threat to the peace of the country,” Bojang cautioned. He stressed the need for more civic education and awareness creation, reasoning it helps citizens to claim their rights as well as carry out their duties as citizens. He noted that civic awareness cultivates a sense of belonging, virtues, knowledge and skills necessary for effective participation.
Bojang hinted that a deeply-polarized country that is based on partisan politics further undermines the raising of civic awareness, but at the same time, increasingly highlights the importance of enlightening citizens to be informed and responsible; and he maintained this is the long-term solution to the political intolerance being experienced of late.
The NCC training in Mansakonko, LRR was on the theme, ‘Catching Them Young: Cementing Patriotism and Responsible Citizenship among Young People’. It was designed to instill leadership knowledge, civic rights and responsibilities in them, as a means of enhancing young peoples’ participation in matters of governance and constitutionalism where citizens would uphold and defend the highest law of the land- which is the Constitution.
The civic rights enlightener promised the youth that his office is determined to building and consolidating a mature political culture in which all citizens, regardless their gender and age, are aware and fully exercise their rights and duties to broaden the country’s nascent democracy. Bojang used the interview to thank UNICEF for funding the entire “successful exercise”.
