Accra, March 13, GNA - The National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) on Tuesday called for the rejuvenation of patriotism and Africanism in Ghanaians through the activities of the golden jubilee celebrations.

"The Golden Jubilee has offered Ghanaians and Africans an opportunity to rediscover our roots, aspirations, identity for the projection of our personality within the community of nations," Mrs Frances Funny-Kumah NCCE Director told the Ghana News Agency in an interview in Accra.

She called on African Governments to seize the opportunity that the golden jubilee of Ghana, offers the continent and effectively map-up strategies to market the rich potentials of each country. Mrs Funny-Kumah noted that the jubilee have attracted international governments attention including the donor partners and multi-media organisations, adding, "we need to maximise the opportunities to erase the negative perception of the continent."

She said the NCCE has instituted a framework for civic education, designed to help students and the youth to develop a rich and varied understanding of government, public policy and citizenship in the country.

It also serves as a road map for strengthening civic education in the years ahead for the development of a framework for full participation, competent and responsible citizens among the youth with a reasonable commitment to the fundamental values and principles of constitutional democracy.

"This goal is to be reached by imparting to our youth, civic knowledge and skills and providing them with relevant experience, all linked to a disposition to look beyond their own particular interests and the social groups, of which they are members and seek the common good for both the present and generations yet to come," she said. Mrs Funny-Kumah said the programme dubbed: "Project Citizen Ghana" is administered in Ghana by the NCCE and Civitas Ghana in collaboration with the Centre for Civic Education USA.

She said the programme have been piloted in twenty (20) Junior and Senior Secondary Schools in the Greater Accra and Northern Regions in year 2006 with a total of five hundred and seventy four students and pupils participating in it.

"Project Citizen," focuses on the public policy aspect as a portfolio-based civic education curriculum programme for students and youth to promote competent and responsible participation in local and national government. The programme will help young people to learn how to monitor and influence public policy, develop support for democratic values and principles, tolerance and feelings of political efficacy.

The NCCE Director said students who go through lessons in Project Citizen will learn how to develop a public policy to solve a community problem; learn how citizens can have power to monitor and influence public policy-making in the community and develop intellectual and participatory skills that promote reasoned investigation, critical thinking, effective communication and reflective thinking. They will also develop democratic dispositions that encourage the exercise of fundamental rights and responsibilities with commitment and confidence.

She said the Project Citizen curriculum involves an entire class of Junior or Senior Secondary Schools in a series of structured, cooperative learning activities that are guided by their teachers. Working in four cooperative teams, the students learn to interact with their government through a six-step process that involves: Identifying a problem in their community that requires a public policy solution, examining and evaluating alternative solutions, gathering and evaluating alternative solutions, and developing a proposed public policy to address the problem.

Mrs Funny-Kumah said the students would also create an action plan to get their policy adopted by government, and reflect on the learning experience.

"Students develop a portfolio of their work and present their project in a hearing showcase before a panel of civic-minded community members. Their work is displayed in a class portfolio containing a display section and documentation section."

Mrs Funny-Kumah said the Commission and Civitas Ghana intend to replicate the programme in the eight remaining regions starting with a teacher training workshop in the Central Region.

The NCCE Director said by experiencing Project Citizen, Ghanaian students nationwide would, among others: learn and exercise the rights of citizens in a democratic society, fulfil their responsibilities as active participants in their society, understand the organisation and procedures of government.

She said they will be able to monitor and influence Public Policy, develop intellectual and participatory skills, appreciate the role of civil society, become research oriented and appreciate the importance of team-work and originality. 13 March 07