Civic education and its impacts on peace and sustainable development of Bo City

Abstract

The general aim of this study was to investigate civic education and its impacts on Peace and Sustainable Development of Bo City. The study area was Bo, which is found in the Southern part of Sierra Leone. According to the 2015 census report, Sierra Leone’s population has been on the increase since 1963 census. It increased from 2,180,355 in 1963 to 2,735,159 in 1974 and 3,515,812 in 1985. The sample size comprised of 80 respondents drawn from a targeted population of 100 respondents using purposive sampling technique. The research revealed that civic education impacts sustainable development; while hate speeches from politicians are largely problematic to civic education drives. It also showed that people engage in violence when they are under the influence of drug and alcohol. Also, politicians give their party thugs drugs and alcohol to be able to effectively carry out their destructive acts. It was further stated that people will engage into violent behaviour because they want to protect their political party ideologies. The study recommends that tribalism, regionalism and nepotism be dealt with to facilitate civic education drives of the citizens. That government should encourage the teaching of civic education in both primary and secondary schools and that of tertiary institutions. The establishment of workable institutions that can implement civic education programmes came up very strongly as a recommendation.