CIVIC

Short note
Grade 9
UNIT 1 Building Democratic system
Lesson 1: Democracy and the democratic system
 Democracy is a type of government where people elect their leaders.
 Today we practice democracy in a different way.
 Democracy is defined as rule by the people.
 In a direct democracy, the people are involved directly in the day-to-day
decision-making.
 In an indirect democracy, the people are involved indirectly through their own
elected representatives.
 A democratic system requires a democratic constitution and the rule of law.
 Democracy is possible when free, fair and regular elections are held.
 The 1995 constitution of Ethiopia expresses how representative democracy
words in Ethiopia in its article 54 as follows:
 Respect for human rights is necessary in a democracy.
 A democratic System has the following characteristics:
 A democratic constitution
 The rule of law
 Free, fair and regular elections
 Active citizen participation
 Respect for human and democratic rights
 A democratic constitution is the fundamental law or legal document that
expresses the will or desires of the people.
 The rule of law is the legal practice or exercise that treats all citizens impartially
or equally.
 Freedom of speech is an essential feature or principle of democracy.
Lesson 2: Rights
 Every person has fundamental rights and freedom.
 In a democracy, all citizens have human and democratic rights.
 The right to life is stated in the federal constitution under article 15.
 Under article 26 sub-article 1, the right to privacy.
 Freedom of association, movement and rights of nationality are stated in the
federal constitution under article 24 sub-articles 1 and 2.
 the rights of children, the Ethiopian constitution under article 36 sub-article
1.
 article 35 sub-articles 1, 2, and 7 state the rights of women
 The right to life is the right not to be killed.
 You have some special rights to enjoy, such as the rights of the child and the
right to education.
 In a democracy, every person has fundamental right and freedoms.
  In the past, children’s rights were not constitutionally recognized and women did
not have constitutional protection, so many abuses were made against them.
 Rights could be political or social advantages to which someone has a just claim,
morally or in law.
 Rights involve the duty to permit the same freedom to others.
Lesson 3: Obligation
 Obligations are duties.
 When you grow up, you will have constitutional obligations to fulfill.
 You have the duty to help your parents at home.
 You have the obligation to protect school and public properties from damage.
 Paying tax is not a burden but an opportunity for the tax payers.
 Paying tax is one way of participating and contributing for the development of
the country.
 There is no society that gives its citizens limitless rights. Your rights are limited
because you share rights with others.
 Knowledge of the extent of your rights enables you to understand your
obligations.
 Your obligations arise from the relationship you have with others.
 Your obligations are conditioned by social norms, customs, values, traditions and
cultures
 Article 9 sub-article 2 of the federal constitution expresses citizens’ obligations.
Lesson 4: Tolerance of diversity
 Tolerance means acceptance of a person, group or community based on worth,
merit, dignity and honors.
 Diversity is to be different in some ways.
 Ethiopia is a county of cultural diversity.
 Citizens in Ethiopia have the constitutional right to promote and develop their
cultural identity.
 Tolerance helps us handle cultural and personal differences in a positive way.
 Tolerance means accepting all differences between people.
 As a citizen you have to accept that other people’s culture is as good as your
own.
 Diversity occurs when very different people come together within a group or
place.
 Failing to appreciate cultural diversity leads t treating some cultures as superior
and others as inferior.
 Today the Nations, Nationalities and peoples of Ethiopia are equal and have the
constitutional right to promote and develop their cultural identity.
 Multiculturalism means accepting all cultural groups as equal and giving equal
opportunities for their development.
 Tolerance means acceptance of a person, group, or community on worth, merit,
dignity and honor.
 the constitution under article 91 sub-articles 1 stated about government
development support to culture, traditions and norms.
Lesson 5: System of Government in Ethiopia
 There are three systems of government in the world.
 Unitary
 Most states in the world are unitary.
 all power is in the hands of the central government.
 There is only one constitution.
 There are various types of unitary government.
 Autocratic: means absolute rule by kings.
 military dictatorships: means absolute rule by military command.
 Democratic: means rule by democratic system.
 united Kingdom has a unitary system of government which is democratic.
 Federal
 Federal government, power is shared between the federal and the
regional states.
 Confederation
 confederation is the union of independent states.
 Autocracy means absolute rule by kings.
 The Derg was a military dictatorship.
 The present structure of government in Ethiopia is a federal democratic republic.
 The constitution of 1995 has laid the foundation for democracy.
 The transition from repressive rule to democracy cannot be a one-off task; rather
it is a process that takes some time to establish in society.
 Under federal government, power is shared between the federal and the
regional states.
 I unitary states, all power is in the hands of the central government.
Lesson 6: Limits of power
 Power means to be able to force others to do what the power holder wants.
 In a democracy, limiting power of government is an essential attribute.
 Emperor Haile Selassie was an absolute monarch who ruled Ethiopia with
unlimited power for a long time.
 In the 1995 Constitution, democratic and human rights of citizens are respected.
 In Ethiopia, the monarchy and the military dictatorship had exercised unlimited
power.
 The Derg used military force to stay in power.
 Democratic governments have limited power.
Lesson 7: Ethiopia’s foreign relations
 Foreign relations are the external relations of a country.
 Foreign relations are conducted between independent countries, international
and regional organizations by trained diplomats.
 Foreign policy regulates a country’s relations with other states and peoples.
 Ethiopia’s foreign policy advances a closer relationship with Africa countries for
peaceful co-existence and mutual economic development.
 Diplomats have to work with people from many different countries and cultures.
  Diplomats often have to negotiate when situations are difficult between
countries.
 Foreign relations are guided by foreign policy.
 Diplomacy refers to the practiced art of official representation abroad of
sovereign states by persons and organizations specialized in such conduct.
 One of the functions of diplomacy is to conduct negotiations.
 Diplomats have to work with people from many different countries and cultures.
 Diplomatic mission refers to a foreign body which is set up by mutual agreement
of states to deal with foreign relations.
 Diplomacy, Negotiation and Tolerance
 Diplomacy refers to the practiced art of official representation abroad of
sovereign states by persons and organizations specialized
 Negotiation is to talk with diplomats and government officials in order to
disagreement and try to come up with a solution.
SUMMARY
In this unit, you have learnt about the basic concepts of democracy and the democratic system.
You have come to understand that, as citizens, you have human and political rights to enjoy.
You have also
learnt that using your rights involves respecting the rights of others. You have seen that you
have constitutional rights and obligations to your country and to the people.
When examining the forms of government in Ethiopia, you have seen that the autocracy of
Haile
Selassie and the military dictatorship of the Derg exercised unlimited power. During those
governments,
you learnt that people had no rights at all. Under the 1995 Constitution it is stated that the
people are
the source of power of the government.
You have learnt about foreign relations and how this benefits the country. You have seen that
Ethiopia’s foreign relations are guided by its foreign policy objectives as stated in the
Constitution.
One of the objectives of the foreign policy is to promote peaceful co-existence and mutual
economic development among African countries and also to work closely with other countries
of the world for the same purpose.
GLOSSARY
Ambassador:- head of a country’s diplomatic mission in a host country.
Autocracy:- A type of government led by a single ruler.
Citizen:- A person who is either born within the state or born of parent who are citizens or
acquired the states through naturalization.
Constitution:- the fundamental law of a country defining its social and state organization. It
includes the principles of the electoral system, the structure of government bodies and the
basic rights and duties of citizens.
Democracy:- Rule by the peoples.
Democratic Government:- A government which derives its just power from the consent of the
citizens.
Democratic system:- When democracy prevails in a country.
Dictatorship:- Is a form of government in which the government is carried out through arbitrary
orders of the ruling junta.
Diplomacy:- refers to the practiced art of official representation abroad of sovereign states by
persons and organizations specialized in such conduct.
Diplomat:- Is an official in the Ministry of Foreign relations or missions abroad.
Diplomatic relations:- Relations between independent states for the promotion of mutual
benefits.
Direct democracy:- A type of democracy where all the people in country have a say in day-to-
day government.
Diversity:- The range of different groups that make up a wider population.
Election:- Selection of one or more people for an official position by voting.
Federation:- A union of state formed by regional governments that has permanently
functioning central organs of power and administration and acts as a single subject of
international law.
Foreign policy:- A policy regulating a particular country’s relations with other states and
peoples.
Foreign relations:- The external relations of a country.
Government:- Is a general tem that describes both the body that holds power as well as the
whole constitutional system.
Human Rights:- Rights that universally belong to people regardless of their sex, race, color,
language, national origin, age, religion, or political beliefs.
Indirect Democracy:- A form of democratic rule which is conducted through elected
representatives of the people.
Majority Rule:- The fundamental principle of democratic government where the majority
decision is respected.
Military Dictatorship: A form of autocracy where the military holds power.
Negotiation:- Is to talk with diplomats and government officials in order to settle an issue or
disagreement between countries and try to come up with a solution.
Obligation:- To have duties to fulfill.
Power:- To cause others to change their behavior and do what the power holder wants.
Representative Democracy:- A type of democracy where citizens have the right to choose who
should represent them in Parliament, Congress or Shengo. It is also called indirect democracy.
Right:- A just claim, either, moral or legal.
Tolerance:- Acceptance of a person on his/her individual worth, merit, dignity, and honor.
Unitary:- A state in which there is only one layer of government, Great Britain is a unitary state.
Voting:- Choice by free citizens.
UNIT 2
Rule of law
Lesson 1: Constitution
 The constitution is a document of fundamental law of an entity, containing the
basic principles on the structure and distribution of power.
 The constitution provides a framework for a government of a country. It also
provides rules and regulations on relationships between a government and its
 citizens. Generally speaking, it protects citizens from abuse by limiting the
governments and setting out citizens’ rights and obligations to maintain peace
and stability.
 Generally the basic functions of the constitution include:
 Protecting the rights of citizens;
 Limiting the power of officials/elected individuals;
 Stating the obligations of citizens;
 Maintaining peace and security in the country.
 The 1995 Ethiopia Constitution under article 9 based on Supremacy of the constitution.
 The constitution of a country can be in written or unwritten forms. However,
citizens of a country that has a written constitution have better access to information
about their rights and duties.
Lesson 2: Rule of law
 Rules are prescribed standards, or a guide, for our conduct in a society or in an
organization, like school.
 Society is governed according to a set of well-known rules, the law, which ordinary
citizens as well as the authorities have to obey. We call this the rule of law and
everyone is subject to the country’s laws. Everyone is equal in the eyes of the law.
 The basic principle of the rule of law is that society is governed according to
widely known and accepted rules followed by both the citizens and authorities.
 The major source of rule of law in a country is the constitution of the country. Other
domestic laws also reflect this principle as they derive their principles from the
constitution and therefore serve as a source of rule of law.
 Collections of specific laws that are used to regulate the social and economic
interaction of a given people are referred to as domestic laws.
 Domestic Laws is collections of specific laws that are used to regulate social and
economic interaction of a given people.
 Domestic laws include
 civil codes
 criminal laws
 family law
 commercial law
 administrative law
 FDRE constitution under Article 25 written based on Right to Equality.
 International laws are products of the consents of different nations that govern the
relationship of countries. International laws play a significant role in the maintenance
of global peace and order.
Lesson 3: Power of Government
 unlimited government is no rules of accountability to the people.
 The opposite is limited government that duties and responsibilities are established by
the people before they over take power.
 The law is respected and the government is accountable to the citizens.
 Almost all governments these days get their power from their people.
  Even in countries which get their power from the people, elected government can end
up behaving like an unlimited government if the rules, regulations and laws are not
well designed to promote accountability.
Lesson 4: Rule of law and corruption
 Corruption means acting dishonestly in return for money or personal gain at the
expense of others.
 Embezzlement is an act of using money placed in one’s care wrongly, especially in
order to benefit oneself.
 Nepotism is the actions of government officials who favour their own relatives often at
the expense of others.
 Bribery is to give or receive money or something of value in return for a favour.
 Abuse of power is a wrong and excessive use of one’s power to benefit oneself.
SUMMARY
In democratic countries, the constitution is the embodiment of the will of the people. That means it
guarantees the basic rights, duties and responsibilities of the whole population equally. Therefore, the
concept of the rule of law is based on the principles of constitutionalism.
In democratic states the power of the government is limited as per the constitution. Society is governed
according to a set of well-known rules, the law, which ordinary citizens as well as the authorities have to
obey. It is this fact that we call rule of law. Everyone is subject to the country’s laws. Everyone is equal in
the eyes of the law.
The principle of the rule of law is very important for the prevalence of democracy. In most cases rule of
law and democracy are interrelated concepts. In many countries of the world rule of law and democracy
are affected by corruption. Since corruption is a very dangerous act against the well-being of the society,
we all have to combat against corruption and its manifestations like abuse of power, embezzlement,
nepotism, and other wrong doings on the property of the public.
GLOSSARY
Accountability: Is answerability of an elected government for its wrongdoing.
Constitution: A document containing fundamental laws: a document or statute
outlining the basic laws or principles by which a country or organization
is governed (ruled).
Corruption: Wrong-doing of government officials, political officials or employees
who seek unjust personal gain through actions such as bribery,
nepotism, patronage and embezzlement.
Dishonesty: Is acting without honesty, cheating, lying or being deliberately
deceptive.
Domestic laws: Law at the national, state, provincial, territorial, regional or local levels.
Embezzlement: Dishonestly appropriating goods, usually money, by one to whom they
have been entrusted.
International convention: International laws, treaties, agreements or consents of different nations
that govern the relationship of countries.
Limited government: A government that functions according to the law and is accountable
to the people.
Nepotism: Showing of favouritism towards relatives and friends, based upon
that relationship, rather than on an objective evaluation of ability or
suitability.
Rules: Principles governing conduct to guide behaviour or action.
Rule of law: The principle that no one is above the law.
Unwritten constitution: A fundamental set of rules, regulations, declarations and laws
passed by either a parliament or other competent government body at
different time which are not compiled in a single document.
Written constitution: A statement of written fundamental laws outlining the basic laws
UNIT 3 Equality
Lesson 1: Equality of nations, nationalities and peoples of Ethiopia
 Equality does not mean absolute similarity.
 Equality means being equal in having similar rights, benefits, opportunities and
burdens.
 People enjoy equality where there is no discrimination based on their cultural
backgrounds.
 The peoples of Ethiopia did not enjoy equal rights to use their languages in
schools and to develop their other cultural traits in the past.
Lesson 2: Equality of citizens in the Ethiopia constitution
 Equality of citizens means citizens have equal access to resources and opportunities
such as education.
 Citizens of Ethiopia have equal political and economic opportunities.
 Economic equality means equality of opportunities such as job opportunities.
the FDRE Constitution Article 41, sub-article 2 written about Economic Equality.
 Political equality means all citizens have equal rights and opportunities to political
participation.
 The FDRE Constitution states Article 38, sub-article 1b written about Political Equality.
 The Constitution states that all citizens have equal rights and opportunities to
political participation.
 The FDRE Constitution also guarantees equality of economic opportunities to all
citizens.
Lesson 3: Gender Equality
 Sex and gender have different meanings.
 Sex refers to differences in physical or biological features.
 Gender deals with differences between men and women in social, economic and
political participation.
 Gender equality refers to equality of men and women, girls and boys, regarding their
rights to enjoy equal opportunities.
 Gender inequality prevailed in Ethiopia in the past.
 Gender inequality limited the participation of girls and women in development
activities and in poverty reduction.
 We have to fight gender inequality to increase women’s contribution in
development activities and poverty reduction.
Lesson 4: Equality within Diversity
 Diversity of cultures has many benefits because each culture contributes something
to the development of our country.
 We can benefit from our cultures when we respect cultural differences and see our
cultures equally.
 Undermining cultures of others could lead to conflicts between different cultural
groups.
 You need to respect diversity and see cultures equally; this will help us to work
 together and fight poverty which is our common enemy.
SUMMARY
You have learnt the meaning and types of equality. Equality does not show complete
similarity. Equality means being equal in having similar rights, benefits, and opportunities.
Equality of citizens means citizens have equal access to resources and opportunities such as
education. You can enjoy equality where there is no discrimination.
Citizens of Ethiopia have equal political and economic opportunities. Economic equality
means equality of opportunities such as job opportunities. Political equality means all citizens
have equal rights and opportunities to political participation. The FDRE Constitution states
that all citizens have equal rights and opportunities to political participation. It also
guarantees equality of economic opportunities to all citizens.
Gender inequality is one type of inequality. Sex and gender have different meanings. Sex
refers to differences in physical or biological features. Gender is related to differences
between men and women in social, economic and political participation. Gender equality
refers to equality of men and women, girls and boys regarding their rights to enjoy equal
opportunities. Gender inequality weakens the participation of women in development
activities and poverty reduction. We have to fight gender inequality to increase women’s
contribution in development activities.
Diversity of cultures has many good points because each culture contributes something to
the development of our country. We can benefit from our cultures when we respect cultural
differences. Undermining the cultures of others could lead to conflicts. You need to respect
diversity and see cultures equally because that will help us to work together and fight
poverty, our common enemy.

GLOSSARY
Culture: The way of life including all customs, beliefs and social organization of a
community.
Cultural equality: The idea that there is no culture which is inferior or superior to other
cultures.
Caste: A division of society based on differences in wealth, social rank or occupation.
Diversity: Differences among peoples in terms of culture, religion, languages, etc.
Economic equality: Equality of opportunities such as job opportunities
Equal opportunities: Having equal access to education, employment, health, etc.
Equality: Being equal in having similar rights, benefits, and opportunities.
Gender: Differences between men and women in social, economic and political
participation.
UNIT 4
Justice
Lesson 1: Justice and Equality
 Justice is related to the idea of fairness.
 Justice is concerned with the relationship between people.
 At a higher level justice determines the relationship between the government `and
citizens.
  Equity is to think of basic principles to correct unbalanced relationships.
Lesson 2: Justice in social services
 Social services include education, health and public administration services.
 It is important to give all citizens equal access to social services.
Lesson 3: Struggle against injustice
 You have to be sensitive to acts of injustice.
 You have to respect the laws in your country.
 You have to support social procedures that promote justice.
 You have to support fair and just distribution of economic and social benefits in your
country.
 You have to demand your rights and protect them.
Lesson 4: Justice system
 The moral foundation for justice is based on the moral values and norms of the
society.
 The other foundation for justice is the legal foundation.
 These principles are expressed in the constitution and other laws of the land
(domestic laws) and international conventions.
 Domestic laws (penal and civil laws) are rules made on the basis of a constitution and
govern peoples’ relations in a country.
 International conventions, on the other hand, are rules that are agreed and accepted
by nations as binding rules.
 conventions are part of the Ethiopian legal system in the FDRE Constitution, Article 9.
 The two broad categories are legal and traditional instruments of justice.
 There are the moral and legal foundations of justice.
 The moral foundation is based on the values and norms of the society.
 The legal foundation is based on the constitution, domestic laws and international
convention.
 There are traditional and legal instruments of justice.
 Legal institutions include courts, the Human Rights Commissions and Ombudsman.
 Traditional instruments include court of elders and Sharia courts.
 People who administer the courts are called judges.
Lesson 5: Justice in taxation
 Tax is a payment by citizens of a country to the government.
 Tax is paid because people receive services that government gives.
 Contraband is an attempt to bring in or take out of the country commodities
without paying the required taxes to the government.
SUMMARY
In this unit, you have discussed the basic definition and idea of justice and equity. You have learnt
that justice is related to fairness and is concerned with the relationships between people. You have also
seen that equity is related to the idea of balanced relationships. You have seen that social services are
services provided by the government for the benefit of the people and that there should be equitable
and fair distribution of social services. You have observed three types of social services; education,
health care and public administration.
Lesson 3 dealt with the idea of struggling against injustice. This means you have to be sensitive to
acts of injustice in your surroundings. You have discussed how you can struggle against injustice by
demanding your rights and protecting them. Also you know you shouldn’t use violent means to struggle
against injustice.
Lesson 4 dealt with the justice system. You have seen that there are moral and legal foundations of
justice. The moral foundation of justice depends on the values and norms of the society while the legal
foundation depends on the constitution, domestic laws and international conventions. You have also
discussed the legal and traditional instruments of justice including the courts, the Sharia and the court
of elders.
Finally you looked at taxation which is a payment made by the people to their government for services
rendered.
GLOSSARY
Constitution: A document that contains the general directives and principles of a country.
Courts: Institutions that interpret laws.
Equity: Balanced relationships among people.
Human rights commissions and ombudsman: Institutions that are legally organized to
watch over the abuse of human rights and maladministration.
International conventions: Rules that are agreed and accepted by nations as binding
rules.
Judges: People who administer the courts.
Justice: Fairness in the relationship among people.
Social Services: Services provided by the government for the benefit of the people.
Traditional instruments of justice: Institutions that are traditionally established by the
people to deal with the moral foundation of justice.
Values and Norms: Social laws that govern the behaviour of people in a society.
UNIT 5
Patriotism
Lesson 1: Citizenship and patriotism
 A person who belongs to a state is a citizen of that state.
 universal citizenship people have different nature and all have the same basic rights.
 Patriotism and citizenship are related to each other.
 Chauvinism is a belief that one group of people is superior to others.
 Flags are used as symbols to represent an organization
 The present Ethiopian flag is green, yellow and red. According to Article 3, sub-article 2
in the Constitution:
 Citizenship is legal membership of a state.
 You can get citizenship by
 birth
 blood relationship
 naturalization.
 Citizenship is associated with rights and responsibilities.
 Patriotism means showing concern and devotion to your country, to its symbols,
 national anthem and constitution.
 Patriotism has different forms. Some of them are defending one’s country,
concern for the common good, and fighting against poverty and corruption.
 Flags are used as symbols to represent an organization or a country.
 Flags can be seen as a source of pride and unity of purpose.
Lesson 2: Objectivity in Ethiopian History
 History has to be written to reflect the role of all members of society.
 Writers of Ethiopian history did not give much attention to the contributions of its
peoples.
 Some writers exaggerated the role of kings, or their cultural groups.
 History should be objective. This means it should reflect the contributions of
individuals as well as the peoples.
 Knowing the true history of Ethiopia helps you to develop patriotic attitudes.
Lesson 3: Duties of a patriot
 The major duty of a patriot is promoting
 the common good
 the public interest
 beneficial to all or most citizens in a community.
 Acting to promote the common good is a quality of a patriot and requires a high
standard of ethics.
 ethics will think about what is good and bad, or right and wrong.
 If you treat some in a good way and others in a bad way you are practicing
discrimination.
 Duties of patriots are not limited to wartime. The duties of patriotic citizens in a
democracy include:
 Working to promote the public interest or the common good.
 Treating others with respect and tolerating differences.
 Fighting terrorism.
 Actively taking part in development activities.
Lesson 4: Patriotism and the fight against poverty
 Poverty is a common problem in many countries.
 The extent of poverty varies from country to country.
 Absolute poverty is common in poor countries like Ethiopia while relative poverty
is common in rich nations.
 Working hard and fighting against backwardness and poverty is another way of being
patriotic.
Lesson 5: Voluntarism
 Voluntarism means giving voluntary services to achieve a goal to benefit a community or
society.
 Volunteering is based on actions of people who want to help others for no payment.
 Voluntarism is giving free service to benefit society.
  It is the duty of patriotic citizens to serve society voluntarily.
 It could be in helping the poor or fighting against the spread of HIV/AIDS, or giving
care and support to people living with HIV/AIDS.
SUMMARY
Citizenship and patriotism are related to each other. Citizenship is legal membership of a
state. Citizens have rights and responsibilities. Patriotism shows your concern and devotion
to your country, to its symbols, national anthem and its constitution. Duties of patriotic
citizens in a democracy include: giving priority to public interest; treating others with
respect; tolerating differences; fighting terrorism; taking part in development activities;
fighting poverty and backwardness.
Poverty is a problem of many countries. There are two forms of poverty: absolute poverty
and relative poverty. Many people in Ethiopia live in absolute poverty. We are proud of
being Ethiopians because our country has been a symbol of freedom and independence. But
poverty negatively affects our pride. Fighting poverty is the duty of patriotic citizens.
Volunteering means giving service to others with no payment. It is the duty of patriotic
citizens to serve their society voluntarily. Citizens could serve the community by helping the
poor; fighting against the spread of HIV/AIDS; or giving care and support to people living
with HIV/AIDS. These are responsibilities of patriotic citizens. You will learn more about
responsibility in the next unit.
GLOSSARY
Absolute poverty: A condition in which people lack basic needs such as food and
shelter.
Basic needs: Things such as food, clothing and shelter, important to the
survival of human beings.
Citizenship: Legal membership of individuals in a state.
Chauvinism: Excessive and blind patriotism; it is associated with the
exaggerated belief that one’s nation is superior to other nations.
Discrimination: Treating a group of people in a good way and another group of
people in a bad way.
Ethics: The study of what is morally good and what is not.
Fascism: A political system based on a very powerful leader, state control
and extreme pride in one’s country and race, and where political
opposition is not allowed.
Naturalization: The method of getting citizenship after birth or after living in
another country for some time.
Patriotism: Positive and supportive attitudes of citizens to their country.
Prejudice: An unfair opinion formed without evidence or knowledge.
Relative poverty: Lack of material goods in relation to the majority of the people.
Terrorism: Illegal use of force aimed at frightening or forcing people or
governments for political or other reasons.
Voluntarism: Giving voluntary service to help others.
Warmonger: A person who favours unjust war.
UNIT 6
Responsibility
Lesson 1: What is responsibility?
 Responsibility is having a duty of looking after someone or something and taking the
blame.
 Responsibilities can be personal or group.
 Personal responsibilities are a person is doing for his own good and for the good of
society.
 group responsibilities is towards a group you belong to shared responsibility among
all group members.
 There are different types of responsibilities sources
 Promises
 Appointments
 Occupations
 moral principles
 citizenship and law
 Different types of occupations give rise to different responsibilities.
 responsibilities are arise from the customs and traditions of society.
 Moral principles are also source of responsibilities.
 Responsibility is the act of imposing on a person something he should do.
 Every person has personal and group responsibilities.
 Personal responsibilities are those which a person is doing for his/her own good
and for the good of society.
 Group responsibility is what you have toward groups to which you belong.
 Promises, appointments, occupations, customs and traditions, moral principles,
citizenship and law are all sources of responsibilities.
Lesson 2: Personal, social and constitutional responsibilities
 Different persons have different responsibilities.
 Different occupations determine the type and extent of personal and social
responsibilities.
 To be responsible means to behave in a proper way under any circumstances.
 You need to keep a balance between your personal interests and social interests.
 Your personal responsibilities include showing respect to the privacy and property of
others.
 You are responsible not to violate the Constitution and other laws of the country.
 You have the responsibility to defend and promote the values of democracy.
Lesson 3: Natural resources an historical and cultural heritage
 The FDRE Constitution in Article 92 (4) written states government and citizens shall
have the duty to protect the environment.
 We depend on the environment for our life.
 We have to use natural resources in a responsible way.
 Protecting our natural resources and heritage helps the promotion of tourism and
preserves our culture.
  Our historical and cultural heritage has been built up over a long time.
 The droughts, famines and floods seen in Ethiopia are, in part, the outcomes of
activities motivated by selfish interests of individuals.
 Preserving forests cools the climate, increases the amount of wild life, improves soil
fertility and allows more and wider rain distribution.
 You have a constitutional obligation to preserve the natural and historical resources of
the country.
Lesson 4: Responsibility to combat HIV/AIDS
 HIV/AIDS is a disease that has killed millions so far.
 HIV/AIDS is a sexually transmitted disease.
 Ethiopia is one of the countries seriously affected by HIV/AIDS.
 As a citizen you have the responsibility to help victims of HIV/AIDS.
 You have to avoid discrimination against HIV/AIDS victims.
 Many sexual partners and unprotected sex spread HIV/AIDS.
 It is immoral and illegal to spread HIV/AIDS.
 It is safe to shake hands with HIV/AIDS sufferers.
 Avoid touching blood if an HIV/AIDS victim has a cut.
SUMMARY
Responsibility is a duty or obligation. There are different kinds of responsibilities which arise from
different sources. They include promises, appointments, customs, moral principles, the Constitution and
other laws. You have a duty to execute your responsibilities emanating from the different sources.
Responsibilities can be personal, group, social and constitutional. Individual responsibilities include
doing well for yourself and doing your part when you are involved. Group responsibilities are shared by
group members. Your constitutional responsibilities arise from what the constitution requires you to do.
You have a responsibility to protect and preserve the natural resources and the historical/cultural
heritage of your country. You have the responsibility to respect the rights of others. These are part of
your constitutional responsibilities as well. You also have the responsibility to combat the spread of
HIV/AIDS by avoiding the infection. You are responsible not to discriminate HIV/AIDS victims. It is one of
your responsibilities to help and support victims. This is one way of combating HIV/AIDS.
GLOSSARY
Accountability: Having the responsibility of explaining your actions.
AIDS: Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome.
Artifacts: Historical remains, e.g., pottery, jewellery, sculpture which has been found and is
kept in a museum.
Constitutional Responsibility: The responsibility that arises from the provisions of the
constitution and that individuals and groups have to respect.
HIV: Human Immune Deficiency Virus. You get this virus first and it develops into AIDS.
National Responsibility: This is the responsibility that citizens have to their country. This could
be responding to national emergency calls.
Personal responsibility: The responsibility individuals have towards themselves and others.
Responsibility: The state of being responsible, accountable or answerable.
Responsibility to preserve our: The responsibility that government, society, the individual and
Historical/cultural heritage: institutions have to protect our historical and cultural heritage.
Responsibility to preserve the: The responsibility that government, society, the individual and
natural environment: institutions have to protect our habitat from further destruction.
Social responsibility: The responsibility which individuals have towards a group, their community or
society.
UNIT 7
industriousness
Lesson 1: Work hard and be on time
 work is to produce something useful.
 Work makes your life better.
 Work is for the purpose of producing something.
 Those involved in manual work which requires a lot of energy are called blue collar
workers.
 Those who work in non-manual jobs are called white collar workers.
 A career is the skilled work you develop over a long period, e.g., teacher, doctor,
scientist, engineer etc.
Lesson 2: The Importance of work
 Needs are the necessities for survival such as food, clothing and shelter.
 Work is for the purpose of producing something.
 Those involved in manual work which requires a lot of energy are called blue collar
workers.
 Those who work in non-manual jobs are called white collar workers.
 A career is the skilled work you develop over a long period, e.g., teacher, doctor,
scientist, engineer etc.
Lesson 3: Economic systems
 The term we use for needs and wants is called demands.
 we have to find a way to balance our demands with our supply.
 An economic system is a system which we use to decide how we will produce and
distribute goods and services.
 There are three different types of economic systems.
 Under a Command/Planned Economic System the government decides what is going
to be produced and how it is going to be distributed.
 In a Free Market Economic System individuals decide what is going to be
produced and how it is distributed.
 A Mixed Economic System is a mixture of these two types of economic systems where
the government has an economic policy and gives some guidance.
Lesson 4: Work Ethics
 Having a good work ethic is very important for being effective at work.
 Having a work ethic also helps your personal development.
 Having a work ethic means being punctual, honest and loyal. It also means taking the
initiative, maximizing productivity and having the willingness to learn.
SUMMARY
In this unit, you have seen the importance of becoming industrious or hard working. You have
discussed the importance of working hard and developing the habit of getting to work on time. You
also saw that having a good work ethic is important if you are to get the maximum benefit from the
work you do. You have seen the three economic systems. The command economic system is one
where all economic decisions are made by the central government. The market economic system is
one where the people are free to make economic decisions. And finally, the mixed economic system is
a mix of both the command and market economic systems.
GLOSSARY
Blue collar workers: Those workers involved in jobs that require manual labour and a
lot of energy.
Career: The skilled work which a person develops over a period of time.
Command Economic System: An economic system where the government decides what is
going to be produced and how it is distributed.
Demand: The products which we need and want in life.
Economic System: A system by which we produce and distribute the things we
need and want.
Entrepreneur: A person who sees a good opportunity for a new business and
works hard to make it grow. Entrepreneurs are very important for
the economy.
Free Market Economic System: An economic system where individuals can decide what to
produce and how to distribute it.
Honesty: Spending working hours and resources on work.
Initiative: Doing what needs to be done without being told to do so.
Leisure Time: Time after work spent on rest and other activities.
Loyalty: Supporting your employer and doing what is best for the
organization.
Mixed Economic System: An economic system which is a mixture of the command and
market economic systems.
Needs: Necessities which are important to survive like food, clothing
and shelter.
Productivity: Doing high quality work as quickly and efficiently as possible.
Punctuality: Being on time.
Supply: Resources we use to satisfy our demands.
Wants: Requirements to better our lives and provide comfort but which
we do not need.
White collar workers: Workers involved in jobs that don’t require manual labour and a lot
of physical energy.
UNIT 8
Self-reliance
Lesson 1: What is self-reliance?
 Self-reliance is the ability to support and take care of yourself.
 self-reliance does not mean complete independence.
 Develop self-reliance
 self-knowledge is you have to know yourself.
 Self-respect is also important because it helps develop self-reliance.
 It does not depend on success or failure.
 Respecting others is you have to respect others.
 Self-reliance means depending on your own ability.
 Self-reliance does not show complete independence. We can help each other
without developing dependency.
 Self-knowledge and self-respect are important to develop self-reliance.
 Self-knowledge means knowing your qualities, capacities, limitations and interests. It
helps you to make good choices when you make decisions.
  Self-respect is accepting yourself as you are. This means you respect yourself both in
the times of success and failure.
 You need to respect yourself but you have to respect others and their work too. You
may not like the people you work with but you have to tolerate them so that you can
work in harmony.
Lesson 2: Dependency
 Dependency is a bad habit which weakens your ability to stand on your own two
feet.
 ‘Self’ refers to you yourself!
 ‘Esteem’ shows that something is valuable.
 self-esteem is about how much you value yourself and how important you think you
are.
 Dependency is a bad habit that weakens your ability to stand on your own two feet. It
is relying on external support permanently.
 Food aid helps people in the time of drought but it does not help them to be self-
reliant.
 Self-esteem is the value which you give to yourself.
 Self-esteem is important to fight against dependency.
 You should also know your own weaknesses so that you can work to overcome them.
Lesson 3: Decision making
 A decision is a choice that you make about something after thinking about several
possibilities.
 Decision-making means thinking about alternatives and choosing the best option.
 Decision making steps
 Know why you need to make a decision.
 Identify the problem you want to solve.
 Then think of the way to solve it.
 Write down different ways of solving the problem.
 Think of possible solutions.
 Ask friends, parents and teachers
 get more ideas before you make a decision.
 Try to see the outcome of each choice.
 Look at the advantages and disadvantages of each choice.
 Choose the best alternative.
 You have to choose the alternative that matches your goal.
 Put your decision into action.
 Once you have made a decision, take action.
 Do not waste time.
 Evaluate the outcome of your decision.
 Was it successful?
 Now move on and plan what to do next.
 A decision is a choice that you make about something after thinking about several
possibilities.
 Decision-making means looking at alternatives and choosing the best option to solve
the problem.
 You have to make decisions at the right time.
 It is not good to make decisions too late or too quickly.
 Making a good decision at the right time helps you to be more successful.
SUMMARY
Self-reliance is to depend on your own ability to do something. Self-reliance does not show absolute
independence because we always need to help each other in many ways. You have to know your good
qualities to be a self-reliant person. You also have to know your weak points so that you can ask for
help.
Dependency is a belief that persons or groups cannot solve their own problems without outside help.
We need to help each other. But when we help others, we have to help them to be self-reliant. Self-
esteem is important to be self-reliant. Self-respect is the value you give to yourself. It is how you see
yourself and how you feel about your achievements. Good self-esteem would make you self-confident.
This will help you to do many things successfully. In the absence of self-esteem you could end up being
dependent.
You have to make decisions as a self-reliant person. Making good decisions at the right time helps you to
be more successful. Today you make decisions about your school life. In the future, when you get a job,
you will make decisions about how to manage your family and save your money. You will learn about
saving in the next unit.
GLOSSARY
Decision: A choice that you make about something after thinking about several possibilities
Decision-making: Thinking about alternatives and choosing the best option.
Dependency: A belief that a person or a group cannot solve its problems without external
support.
Self-esteem: Giving value to yourself and considering that you have something to offer others.
Self-knowledge: To know your strength and weaknesses.
Self-reliance: To depend on your own ability.
Self-respect: To have pride and accept yourself as you are.
UNIT 9
Saving
Lesson 1: Saving and extravagance
 Saving means keeping something for the future.
 Tezkar and other religious festivities
 Tezkar is a funeral ceremony after a person passes away.
 Saving is important for the future, and for emergencies.
 Extravagance is harmful and it affects our saving culture.
Lesson 2: Planning and saving
 Planning means to work out what you need to do, step by step, in order to reach a goal.
 goal is what you want to become or what you want to do in the future.
 Having a goal and planning is important.
 It is important to use all our resources properly.
 It is important to plan a personal or family budget.
Lesson 3: Money as a source of wealth
 Wealth is the total amount of money and property that a person owns.
 Accumulating wealth is possible when you and members of society work in a continuous
way and also through generations.
  Wealth is the total amount of money and property.
 It is very important to use money wisely.
 You need to work hard to make money.
 Be suspicious of easy ways to make money.
SUMMARY
In this unit, you have seen the importance of saving. You have discussed the importance of planning a
family as well as having a goal. You also saw that it requires effort to get money and to become wealthy.
In relation to this you discovered that it is important to give something to society when you become
wealthy. Wealth is something that you accumulate over time. Using both money and resources properly
and wisely is important and will help you to accumulate wealth.
GLOSSARY
Emergencies: Events which we don’t expect.
Extravagant Practices: Unnecessary expenditures.
Family Planning: . Limiting the number of children so that it is easier to take good
care of them.
Planning: Thinking what you need to do in order to achieve a goal
Saving: Keeping something for the future.
Wealth: Accumulated property and money that a person owns.
UNIT 10
Active community participation
Lesson 1: The meaning of community participation
 Members who belong to such associations form a community.
the work of the members of the community is called community participation.
You need to be active in your participation group is called active community
participation.
Community projects are for the common good.
 There are different types of community participation
 Political participation
 Social participation
 When groups of people try to make their life better through cooperative engagement,
it is called community participation.
 Political participation means being prepared to vote, lobby, persuade, or protest. It
includes discussing public issues and attending political meetings.
 Social participation means acting to help social development. This way problems can be
overcome.
 The role of civic societies in community participation
 Civic societies/voluntary organizations are associations which work together based on
shared interests, a purpose or values.
 Voluntary organizations are organized by volunteers who have a common interest.
 Some of the voluntary organizations include NGOs, charities, community groups, youth
associations, professional associations, trade unions, self-help groups, social
movements, environmentalists and business associations.
SUMMARY
In this unit, you have learnt how you can participate actively in your school, clubs, and in the community
where you live. The objective of community participation is to improve the life of the community
and your environment. One way to improve community life is through participating in community
meetings. During such meetings you have an opportunity to raise issues affecting the community.
You can also participate in elections and vote freely for parties which you support. This is political
participation. Outside politics you have seen that you can use social participation to control crime,
corruption, drug abuse and the spread of HIV/AIDS.
You have examined the role civic/voluntary societies play in improving community life. The societies are
formed by the free will of individuals who want to solve their common problems. Their purpose, as
you have seen, is to mobilize members to participate in work which promotes the common good.

GLOSSARY
Common Good: The outcome of actions intended to benefit all the members of a
community.
Community: A group of people in a given time and place.
Community Development: The improvement of conditions of a community.
Community Participation: An undertaking by the members who are organized in an area for a
purpose.
Consumer Association: A group of consumers coming together to solve problems such as the
availability of commodities or the sale of sub-standard goods.
Juvenile Delinquency: A situation where the behaviour of young people has been found by the
court to be bad and dangerous.
Political Participation: Voluntary participation in discussions of public issues and voting in
elections.
Social Participation: Voluntary participation to control specific problems such as drug abuse,
crime, corruption, HIV/AIDS etc.
Voluntary/Civic Society: A society formed by the free will of members who agree to try to
improve the life of a community.
UNIT 11 D
The pursuit of wisdom
Lesson 1: The basis of Knowledge and wisdom
 Knowledge can be defined as understanding or learning that which is known.
 Wisdom means to be wise in handling acquired knowledge for good use.
 Learning is a life-time process, and knowledge is accumulated, stored and carried
through generations.
 There are two ways to learning.
 Formal learning is acquired knowledge and skills in institutions.
 Informal learning is get the knowledge and skill throughout your life time without
having to go to school.
 Knowledge obtained through inquiry and research is vital for social development.
 Inquiry means to find out the reason for something or how something happened.
  Research is to learn new facts or scientific laws.
 Knowledge can be defined as understanding or learning that which is known.
 The basis of knowledge and wisdom is man’s effort to explore and change his
surroundings.
 Exploring man’s surroundings leads to knowledge, and the effort to change it
requires wisdom.
 Wisdom means to be wise in handling acquired knowledge for good use.
 Formal learning is acquired in institutions of learning like schools.
 Knowledge obtained through enquiry and research is vital for social development.
 Informal learning strengthens knowledge obtained through formal learning.
Lesson 2: Information and data
 Knowledge consists of information and data.
 Information and data are important to develop wisdom.
 Data is the information gathered from surveys
 The FDRE Constitution Article 29 (4, 5) the free flow of information and who control the
media.
 One of the principles of democracy is making information available for citizens.
 Data is information gathered through surveys etc about specific cases.
 The quality and quantity of data gathered is important to make valid judgments.
Lesson 3: Reading and studying
 Reading involves the reader and the materials to be read.
 Studying means a thorough enquiry into a subject area.
 Spending more time reading helps develop the habit of reading.
 Developing the habit of reading may take some time.
 Studying means a thorough enquiry of a subject area.
 You can develop the habit of reading if you have the desire to know about things.
 Reading involves the reader and the materials to be read.
 Those who read a lot are those who have great knowledge.
Lesson 4: The pursuit of truth
 Truth can be defined to mean that which is true.
 Everyone should desire to be
 Honest
 respected
 truthful
 Knowledge is a tool to differentiate between what is true and what is false.
 Truth can be defined to mean that which is true.
 You have to uphold the truth.
 The law punishes people who to tell lies.
 Our social norms uphold truthfulness.
 Knowledge can enable one to identify liars from truthful persons.
SUMMARY
In this unit, you learnt about the basis of knowledge and wisdom and the relationship they have with
each other. You have explored formal and informal learning processes. The use of information and
data for knowledge has also been examined. Through reading and studying you will build up your
knowledge. The habit of reading is the gateway to success in life. In society, not all persons are truthful.
Knowledge helps to distinguish between truth and falsehood.
GLOSSARY
Concept: A general idea, thought, or understanding.
Data: Information/facts.
Facts: Information regarded as being true.
Generalization: A general statement, principle, or opinion based on facts.
Harmful Traditional Practices: Cultural practices which are harmful.
Learning: A purposeful and conscious activity.
Poverty: Inability to fulfill basic needs for life.
Pursuit: Following an activity to achieve excellence.
Truthfulness: The habit of telling the truth.
Wisdom: The quality of being wise.