Citizenship, Political Liberalism and the National Curriculum Essay

Citizenship, Political Liberalism and the issue broadcast I sh completely maintain in this essay that the civic education proposed in the new National political platform subject called Citizenship is not in accordance with the educational aims and formulas relegated in The Education Reform roleplay, 1988, in which the National Curriculum itself was established. I shall argue further that the present institutional arrangements for the altogether of education be contrary to the spirit of the civic education outline in Citizenship. To pursue the argument I shall draw on illusion Rawls insight that, in a modern democracy such as that in the UK, the idea of a parliamentary state with a single generally agreed moral or religious doctrine is no endless useful. In Political Liberalism he writes about this notion That foundation of social unity is excluded by the fact of reasonable pluralism it is no longer a political possibility for those who accept the constraints of liberty and toleration of democratic institutions. (p.201)He uses the notion of judge as fairness to indicate how the state may deal justly with its citizens in a pluralist society. He defines justice as fairness in terms of two principles of justice. The first is that all people must have the same political rights and liberties. The second principle is that of equality of opportunity. Rawls then restricts the sphere of influence of these principles to that of political, social and sparing institutions. This stake he calls political liberalism. He maintains that this political liberalism should be seen as a freestanding moral system applicable only to political, social and economic institutions. This is somewhat difficult to swallow if only in terms of precisely how this limit... ...ply to all pupils. Pupils do not receive the same civic education. Fourth, the institutions are not freely available in terms of fair contest although both systems are state controlled. If, therefore, equ ality of opportunity is indeed single of a broad set of common values and purposes which underpin the inform curriculum and the work of the school as the Secretary of State claims, then I submit that both our flow rate National Curriculum and our current institutional arrangements are not in line with this value, and that, therefore, the aims of Citizenship are supposed(prenominal) to be realised. BibliographyRAWLS, J. (1996) Political Liberalism, Columbia University Press, New York, Chicago, ChichesterEducation Reform Act 1988 Secretary of States Preface and opening sectionsNational Curriculum Values 2002Citizenship, Programme of Study Key Stage 4