Civic Challenges – SS2 Citizenship & Heritage Studies Lesson Note (Third Term)

Civic challenges are problems in society that can stop a student’s progress, like potholes on a road.

Behavioural objectives

By the end of the lesson, students should be able to:

1. define drug abuse, cultism and examination malpractice;
2. state the reasons students take drugs, join cults and cheat in examinations;
3. explain the effects of each of the three challenges;
4. describe how a student can avoid each challenge;
5. explain how these challenges harm families and Nigeria.

What are civic challenges?

Civic challenges are harmful problems in society that can stop a student from reaching his or her goals.

• The road picture: think of your future as a highway. Civic challenges are deep potholes or nails that can burst your tyres.
• Three major challenges: drug abuse, cultism and examination malpractice.
• Purpose of this lesson: to show how a student can avoid all three.

What is drug abuse?

Drug abuse is the use of any substance in a way that harms the body or mind.

• Wide meaning: it covers cough syrups, painkillers and alcohol.
• Hard drugs: it also includes drugs such as cocaine.

What are examples of drugs students abuse?

• Alcohol and tobacco: legal for adults but harmful to young people.
• Cannabis (Indian hemp): a plant drug that affects the mind.
• Cough syrups and painkillers: harmful when taken for a “high” or in large amounts, as with codeine and tramadol.
• Hard drugs: cocaine and heroin.

Why do students abuse drugs?

• Peer pressure: wanting to “belong” to the cool group.
• Stress: thinking drugs will help them forget their problems.
• Curiosity: just wanting to “see how it feels.”
• Ignorance: not knowing how dangerous the drugs are.

What are the consequences of drug abuse?

• Health: it damages the brain, liver and lungs. It often leads to mental illness.
• Legal: getting caught can lead to prison and a criminal record.
• Social: it destroys the trust your parents and teachers have in you.
• Academic: it weakens concentration and lowers grades.

How can a student avoid drug abuse?

• Say no firmly: refuse any drug offered by friends or strangers.
• Use medicine properly: take drugs only when a doctor prescribes them, in the right dose.
• Avoid bad company: stay away from groups that use drugs.
• Handle stress well: talk to someone you trust, play sport or study.
• Seek help early: speak to a school counsellor or parent.

What is cultism?

Cultism is membership of a secret group whose activities are hidden from the public and often involve violence or “blood oaths.”

• Cult: a secret group of this kind.
• Cultist: a member of such a group.

Why do students join cults?

• Desire for power: wanting to be feared or respected.
• Search for protection: believing the group will defend them.
• Peer pressure: wanting to belong to a group of friends.
• False promises: hoping the group will help them pass exams.

What lies do cult members tell?

Cult members often promise “protection,” “power” or “connections” to help you pass exams. These are all lies.

What are the effects of cultism?

• Violence: cultism leads to “rivalry wars.” Students have lost their lives in school because of cult clashes.
• Expulsion: once the school finds out you are a member, you can be expelled. Your education may end there.
• Legal trouble: cult activities are against the law, and members can be arrested.
• Fear: cultists live in constant fear of the police or rival groups, and have none of the power they were promised.

How can a student say no to cultism?

• Choose friends carefully: pick friends who care about their studies.
• Watch for warning signs: a group that asks you to meet at night in a secret place or do something “hidden” is dangerous.
• Walk away: leave at once and tell a teacher or parent.

What is examination malpractice?

Examination malpractice is any dishonest act before, during or after an examination to gain an unfair advantage.

• Short-cut mentality: it is the “search for a short cut” instead of hard work.

What are the forms of examination malpractice?

• Micro-chips: carrying small papers with notes into the hall.
• Phones: using a phone to look up or share answers.
• Impersonation: paying someone to write the paper for you.
• Copying: looking at or copying from another candidate.
• “Expo”: buying or using leaked question papers.
• Bribery: paying a supervisor or examiner for help or marks.

Why do students cheat in examinations?

• Laziness: not wanting to read.
• Poor preparation: starting to study too late.
• Fear of failure: worry about disappointing parents.
• Pressure for high grades: society values certificates above knowledge.

Why is examination malpractice a trap?

• The “Result Without Brain” problem: you might get an ‘A’ on paper, but at a job interview or in university you will not be able to defend it. You become a “certified illiterate.”
• The risk: if you are caught by WAEC or NECO, your result can be cancelled. You waste your parents’ money and your own time.
• Loss of confidence: cheating makes you believe you are not smart enough to pass on your own. It kills your self-esteem.

What is the solution to examination malpractice?

The solution is early preparation, because there is no “expo” better than reading your books two months before the exam starts.

1. Make a reading timetable early in the term.
2. Study a little every day.
3. Form a study group with serious classmates.
4. Ask your teachers about topics you do not understand.
5. Practise past questions before the examination.

Why must we fight these challenges?

Any of these three challenges hurts you, and it also hurts Nigeria.

1. Families suffer: imagine the pain of a mother whose son is expelled for cultism, or a father whose daughter is in a psychiatric hospital because of drugs.
2. Nigeria loses talent: we need doctors, engineers and leaders. We cannot build a great country with citizens whose brains are damaged by drugs or who cheated to get their certificates.

How can SS2 students stay safe?

A student stays safe by getting support, setting goals and having courage.

• Find a mentor: talk to a teacher or an older person you respect when you feel pressured.
• Set goals: if you know you want to be a pilot or a lawyer, you will not have time for cultism.
• Be brave: it takes more “liver” (courage) to stand alone and do the right thing than to follow a crowd doing the wrong thing.

How do the three challenges compare?

Drug abuse harms the body and mind, cultism joins a student to a violent secret group, and examination malpractice replaces learning with cheating.

Class discussion question

If you find out your best friend has started hanging out with a group suspected to be a cult, would you report them to the school, talk to them privately, or just stop being their friend? Why?

Evaluation

1. Define drug abuse and give three reasons why students abuse drugs.
2. What is a cult? State three effects of cultism on a student.
3. List four forms of examination malpractice and explain why it is called a trap.
4. Explain two ways in which these challenges harm families and Nigeria.

Assignment

Choose one of the three civic challenges. In a short paragraph, state its common trigger, its main danger and one way a student can avoid it.