The Role of Citizenship Education in Building National Character

Abstract

As time progresses, the character of the Indonesian nation fades. This is due to external influences which have an adverse effect on every citizen of the country especially young generation. The fading of the national character that is commensurate with Pancasila and the 1945 Constitution is because today's young generation prefers foreign culture. For this reason, the importance of citizenship education as a bridge in building national character is in accordance with existing norms, ethics and moral values. Education is an effective way to instill good character in the younger generation. Character education helps expand potential, habits and actions, leadership qualities and awareness of responsibility and academic abilities and creating an educational environment. The aim of this research is to determine the role of citizenship education in building national character. Citizenship education can be obtained through any level of education, from informal to formal education. This is because citizenship learning is the peak of communicating Pancasila values. Citizenship education is a field of study that exists at every level of education, starting from elementary school education, secondary education and citizenship education which is also one of the mandatory subjects in universities. With this citizenship education, every child of the nation can form an appropriate character with Pancasila. Teacher hold role important in develop the character of each student. Through citizenship education, teachers can create national character based on norms, ethics and morals as well as better character values. Citizenship education can be implemented from an early age through parents as the first teachers for each child so that when they grow up they will have a national character that has been instilled since small will not fade.