[attach id=235387 size="large"]Experts say that political education should be
done at school in a manner that qualified as
“educational and not indoctrination”.[/attach]

Children should be encouraged to discuss politics and elections as they need to understand what’s happening around them even if they are excluded from voting, according to education experts.

“Children should be definitely involved because this is their society and this is their future,” said Kenneth Wain, professor of education studies.

“Obviously, I’m talking about a proper political education and not indoctrination, which is not acceptable,” he hastened to add.

He believes that the democratic processes should be explained to the children: what elections are, how they are contested and what the major issues are in this particular campaign. “I don’t think these should be kept away from children,” he said.

Since the start of the electoral campaign parents have contacted The Times expressing concern that in school playgrounds children were teaming up into ‘blues’ and ‘reds’ and were also chanting political party songs.

My main worry is that we are censoring children’s thoughts

Other parents however admitted that they discussed billboards with their children and, depending on the age, even the issues that were being debated nationally.

Should children be left obliv-ious to politics?

“I remember that when I was a boy my father used to insist that I should not talk politics at school. I don’t think that is conducive to a good climate. Ideally, children should be able to discuss these things even at school,” said Prof. Wain.

He believes that politics is part of the democratic education. “Our national curriculum talks about educating our children as future citizens. But how can that be if you keep politics away from them completely?” he asked.

He said that political education should be done at school in a manner that qualified as “educational and not indoctrination”. Younger children should be thought how a democracy worked while the older ones should be encouraged to debate in the classroom.

“They should be taught to debate in a rational way, respecting one another’s opinions and views. One of the democratic virtues includes that of listening to others,” Prof. Wain said.

Should parents also tell their children who they are going to vote for?

“I see no reason why not. The most important thing is that you give the child a reason for your decision.”

Andrew Azzopardi, lecturer at the Department of Youth and Community Studies at the University, said that the explanation that parents gave to children about how they intended to vote should be a valid one.

“If a child is asking you who you’re going to vote for, then you need to give an answer. And that cannot be: ‘I’m voting PN because my grandfather is PN.’ You should refer to issues to which they can relate, something like the tablets but not something like the gas power station,” Dr Azzopardi said.

He stressed that politics in itself “is not something bad” but, unfortunately, the country is “polarised”.

“I feel that when children ask it’s because they need an answer. Children are naturally curious. The worst thing you can do is that you try to brush off their questions,” he said.

His main worry is that we are censoring children’s thoughts. “My personal theory is that when you inform children, you are teaching them important skills: how to question, how to filter and how to reflect.”

He believes that when we give children a rational argument, they will eventually start coming up with their own opinion. He subscribes to Prof. Wain’s view that politics should also be discussed at school and not only during PSD lessons.

The Director of Education, Micheline Sciberras, said that it is not the policy of the Education Department “to forbid” any child from talking about any issue. Moreover, she firmly believes that any important event in society, including the election of a new government, can be a “positive learning experience”.

“It is the role of any educator to encourage healthy discussions and introduce an educational element into any discussion taking place within a school environment,” said Ms Sciberras.

She insisted that educators followed children’s convers-ations and if any discussion was considered to be inappropriate or unhealthy, action was taken to change it into an educa-tional experience.

“Educators are informed that personal comments with political innuendos and heated political arguments are not to occur on school premises,” she said.

Child educator Joyce Callus said that the age of the child should be taken into consider-ation when discussing politics with children.

“It is perfectly acceptable to discuss politics without any fanaticism,” she said. But she warned of heated political arguments: “Those should not take place in front of children because they won’t understand and God knows what conclusions they’ll draw,” she said.

“We have to keep in mind the age of the children and their development and keep fanaticism out of it,” she insisted.