Political education

We talk about how literate we all are. It is important for all of us to be educated, so that we can face the dangers of the world. But, this literacy is quiet subjective, considering the times of today. When we live in dangerous times, it is important to examine this literacy in certain terms. The field is regarding International Politics. Here are some basic questions.

Who is the Prime Minister of Taiwan? Is Somalia a democracy? Who is the president of Egypt? How many political parties are there in Turkey? What is the role of the various lobbies in the US? Who is the president of Romania? Who is the president of newly independent East Timor? There are many more questions, but the answers will be quiet few. The frightening thing, i guarantee is, no one will have a concrete answer to any of these questions.

The author will be honest and state that he also will not answer these questions clearly. But, the point I can make is that majority of the world's population do not know world politics. The public of the so called Superpower nations all are blank when asked about these certain basic questions. This lack of knowledge is indeed frightening, for it makes us question the very fact of education.

Why do people shun away from political knowledge and working? The answer lies in the functioning of the mind. The mind pre-empts our bias of politics, that it is too complex and also it is perplexing. International Politics suffers from a different fate altogether. The people of a particular nation are NOT bothered about what happens somewhere else. The arguement is dismissed in one simple statement, "Why should I care about an event thousands of miles away?" Once made, it is difficult to penetrate this mindset.

All this talk of globalization is farce if citizens are not educated in the field of Politics.Right now, i can say that there are very few courses or studies exclusively devoted to Politics. Studies of politics are left to experts, who may slant it towards their bias. If common citizens get hold of political knowledge and their execution, then the bias can be reduced effectively. Common Citizens must be educated in the subject of Politics with specialization. In this way, many more people will want to gain entry into politics and shatter the Apathy which is detrimental to Democracy.

But, this concept suffers from the fact that people will not take up politics as a subject. The very fact that politics is viewed as a time consuming process will result in a few participation. It is important for people to shatter the bubble of apathy, because in the long run it is going to hurt them in their socio-economic functioning. If Politics as a subject is introduced in the education system, then people's participation will initially rise, and then transform into active participation in the process.

Declining number of voter turnouts has caused alarm in democratic setups about the viability of democratic foundations. Thus, the first step in remedying this is to get Politics to the Citizens. The best way is in the form of introducing Politics in the education system. Many people will say that this method is bound to fail and that citizens won't take the initiative. But, if apathy is to be shattered, then this step has to be taken.