Citizenship education at school in Europe : country reports

Abstract

Nationally, the term ‘responsible citizenship’ is understood as a ‘status’ and a ‘role’. As a social status, citizenship implies being a member of Maltese society, in which citizens are entitled to share equal rights and responsibilities. Entitlement brings with it a sense of loyalty to one’s country. Citizenship as a status is guaranteed by the constitution of the Republic of Malta Article 23(1) and (2). Understood as a role, citizenship involves social identity as an expression of social life in the political community which endows individual citizens with the practice of fundamental (civil) rights and functional (political and social) rights. Articles 33 to 48 in the Maltese constitution provide the safeguarding framework for these rights. The relevant term for citizenship in Maltese language is cittadinanza inasmuch as it refers to citizenship as a status, and hajja civika or tkun cittadin responsabbli in terms of citizenship roles and functions. Change and development in contemporary society, marked particularly by the process of cultural interdependence and globalisation, are extending the notion of citizenship. Citizenship is no longer defined in its former national or territorial sense. Contemporary Maltese society is grappling with such a complex notion. Following developments in Europe, the teaching and learning process in the Maltese educational system is adopting a European and global identity of citizenship in view of an expanding multicultural context in Europe and the world. While acknowledging the importance of political citizenship based on knowledge of rights and political institutions, the position in Malta is to promote active and participatory citizenship among Maltese students