Introduction

            In today’s globalised world, the role of citizenship as evolved into a new form of mechanism that is centred around the societal integration of different nations across the world. Over the past five decades, societies have emerged in diverse forms. The emergence of different forms of societies has since threatened the existence of national citizenship. Notably, social groups that are based on identities have been established across different countries in the world. According to Lister (2011), the major role of these social groups is to champion the interests of specific individuals whose intentions and ideals are divergent from the ideals that are taken by a majority of the citizens. In more recent times, the issue of nationalism has been plagued with the concern of border securities of most nations. Countries such as the United States have witnessed a large influx of immigrants across their borders who are actively in search of jobs as well as refugee constitute (Lister 2011). This has complicated the subject of citizenship. With reference to present state of citizenship and welfare in the 21st century, this paper explores the various tenets of social integration and their interrelation with the notion of citizenship. As such, the paper explores fundamental themes that surround the discussion on citizenship and welfare. In this respect, focus is drawn on a number of cases that address different issues of citizenship and welfare in different countries across the world. More specifically, the essay is based around the identity of socially lower-class people and their interactions in different environments within the society.

The impact of Fundamental British Values and/or PREVENT on minority groups in England

            The Fundamental British Values are a set of values that schools within the larger British country are required to teach to school going children. According to Revell and Bryan (2018), the Fundamental British Values are clearly defined in strict guidance with the 2011 Prevent Strategy. In that Strategy report, there are five Fundamental British Values namely: “democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty, mutual respect and tolerance of those of different faiths and beliefs.”  Schools are therefore required to operate according the government guidelines and the National Curriculum to employ teaching strategies that equip children with the five fundamental values. From its onset in 2014, teachers throughout the larger United Kingdom schools are required to comply with the necessary frameworks to instil the necessary knowledge concerning the values. Subsequent to that, the teaching of the values is overseen and supervised by Ofsted. The establishment of the Fundamental British Values was triggered by the Michael who was then the secretary of state for the ministry of education. This was after the “Trojan Horse Affair” in which it was suspected that the state schools in Birmingham were under threat from Islamists.

            Having outlined the context for which the Fundamental British Values were established, it is important to explore their impact in regards to citizenship and the welfare of people within Britain. More importantly, it is crucial to develop an understanding the role of the Fundamental British Values in moulding and nurturing children in resourceful citizens. According to Revell and Bryan (2018), the Fundamental British Values have largely been contested since their implementation in schools. Revell and Bryan (2018), state that the conceptualization of the idea and its subsequent implementation has resulted into hostile impacts to school going children. The introduction of the fundamental values has made it difficult for the children to understand their identity. More specifically, children who are drawn from marginalised groups are largely affected as they are at risk of developing an overall feeling of being side-lined in the welfare and citizenship affairs of the country.

            The whole concept of fundamental British values is inspired by the larger narrative of “Britishness”. It is important to note that the narrative of “Britishness” was at the centre of UK referendum vote which sought that leave the EU. In addition, the same narrative was used by the UK conservatives to fight for the introduction of British Bill of Rights which was to act as a replacement for the EU Convention Rights for Humans. In the context of British politics, the use of the Britishness narrative led to the rise in hate and suspicion levels among UK citizens across the country. Unfortunately, these undesirable trends of hate and suspicion have slowly infiltrated into the school system. According to Revell and Bryan (2018), some teachers in UK schools reported to have heard Muslim children being mocked as being “terrorists”. Despite the inadequacies of the fundamental British values, it is important that all schools within the United Kingdom develop a genuine willingness in their policies and frameworks to inspire children to engage in morally upright tasks. Overall, there is a more urgent need to commit to fundamental values that promote fairness in societies while building strong bonds on citizenship based on democracy.

The introduction of Universal Credit and its impact on people on benefits

            In every country, it is important to establish a system that accommodates the changing circumstances of citizens. In every country, citizens are dependent on public services including social security platforms, education services, social amenities and healthcare systems. The introduction of the Universal Credit emblems the governments goodwill intention to improve the income levels of several citizens who are suffering from poverty. Despite the good intention of initiating the Universal Credit, the underlying drivers of this agenda are shallow at addressing the fundamental factors on poverty. For instance, the implementation of the Universal Credit is prone is likely to offer employment opportunities while fighting for other working citizens to be laid off (Dwyer and Wright 2014). For this reason, the implementation of the Universal Credit may fail to yield its intended benefits for the overall good of the country.

            The Universal Credit (UC) has the potential of aiding many families in breaking free from poverty. The introduction of the UC marks a striking onset of replacing tax credits and aids which have been complicated and hence ineffective at addressing the needs of poor people. According to the previous system, citizens were required to abide by many rules which made it difficult for claimants to realize their benefits. The guiding principles of the UC system advocate for the simplification of the system while adopting a single source of assistance which accommodates change as parameters in the human environment evolve (Dwyer and Wright 2014). In the 2018, financial budget, a monetary allocation of £1.7 billion was channeled to the UC to support poor people and their families through the increase of work allowances. In effect, the living standards of low-income earners has since improved (Dwyer and Wright 2014). In addition, there have been reductions in the maximum limits for debt repayment as well as allocating more time for the repayment of advances.

            On the contrary, the impact of the UC on the incomes of families that are out of work is less lucrative. According to Dwyer and Wright (2014), most families that are in out-of-work formations are more disadvantaged in the new UC system. From a bigger picture, approximately 1.9 million people expected an annual increase in their incomes by close to £2,000 while the incomes of 2.6 million people were to be reduced by an annual figure of £1,400. For families living in and out of work a net loss is being registered. Going forward, there are some improvements that can be initiated on the UC system to aid in its success. For instance, it is important that the payment process is sped up as the five-week wait is too long for persons living in poverty conditions.

The use of specific quotas to determine access to higher education in​‌‌‌‍‍‌‍‍‍‍‍‌‍‌‍ Pakistan

            According to Siddiqi (2019), Pakistan’s Civil Service employs a selection system where only 7.5% are selected on merit while the rest of the applicants are selected on a quota system. Pakistan’s quota system is developed in such a manner that each province within the country is represented based on the total population of people in that province. This selection system of representation has been criticized as being discriminatory in the sense that it favors the children of Jagirdas and Waderas who live in posh urban centers but have rich rural dominance. In 1973, the Pakistan government adopted a quota system countrywide that specified that employment and admission to higher education institutions to be determined on the basis of the population within the provinces (Siddiqi 2019). This quota system was further complicated in certain individual regions such as the Sindh where admission to colleges and universities were done on the basis of urban, rural and the district that one was domiciled at. To date, the quota system is still being employed in the admission of students to universities. All the universities that exist within urban centers are largely managed by the urban population. Consequently, students who are drawn from rural regions are discriminated and denied admissions to top universities such as the Karachi University

            In view of the fact that young populations in Pakistani may be denied learning opportunities on the basis of their region of extraction, it is important that policy makers address the fundamental question of the quota system. In the context of learning, merit should be the leading factor of consideration for one to be admitted to a college or university. The failure to consider merit in the admission of students in various colleges have led to the rise of undesirable effects in several sectors across the country. For instance, the graduates that are churned out in most universities are incompetent to steer forward organizations into success. As a result, hitches have been observed in the performance of many sectors such the widespread corruption that has been witnessed in the education docket in recent years. Going forward, the Pakistani government should establish policies that aid in the improvement of the standards of education within the country. The provision of a level playing field irrespective of regional extraction would give fair opportunities to persons drawn from rural areas to enjoy their fundamental right to education.

The connection between sports education and human rights in Kenya

            Kenya has a rich constitution that is committed to the promotion of sporting activities as well as promotion of sports education within the country. The country has a rich list of sporting activities led by athletics which has put the country on a global map as a sporting nation. Other sports activities that are practiced within the country include: football, swimming, cricket, basketball, rugby and hockey. In order to support sporting activities within the country, the government through the Ministry of Sports and Heritage has outlined policies and measures in its constitution that promote sporting and cultural activities while observing the rights of humans within the country. Part of the mandate of the Sports Ministry is to promote sports education in accordance with the rights of humans (Mikinyango 2019).

            Kenya’s sporting sector is circumscribed by a number of fundamental issues on human rights. To begin with, there is the subject of discrimination of persons in various sporting activities. The country’s constitution prohibits the discrimination of any citizen from participating in a legal sport on the basis of gender, religion, ethnicity, culture, sex, colour and disability. The sports federation is charged with the task of sourcing talents from various backgrounds to engage in various sports. The countries commitment to enlighten its citizens on sports education has led to the evolution of minority sports such as that of Paralympics. In 2016, the Paralympics team registered an impressive performance in the Rio Olympics. In addition, the country’s sporting guidelines allows for the freedom of association with any sporting activity of choice. Persons drawn from all over the country are increasingly becoming aware of their right to participate in any sport provided they meet the standards that are required. In addition, the freedom of association has allowed different groups such as the disable, men and women to freely support the sports of their choice.

            The country has also advanced its sports education through the freedom of media that is enshrined in its constitution. The rights of the state to limit the freedom of the media to cover and air sporting events within the country are limited. For this reason, both local and international broadcasters have the freedom to cover and showcase sporting activities within the country. The freedom of the media has also enhanced sports education in the country through the development of various sponsorship deals within the country. For instance, Supersports and SportPesa are actively involved in the financing of the local football league called Kenya Premier League. Further, the participation of sponsors in local sports has led to an increased awareness and improvement of human rights within and without sports. For instance, SportPesa has sponsored numerous sporting events that are aimed at improving the rights of children and women in the country. Notably, the betting company recently sponsored a female boxer called Zarika in female boxing competition. This was a solid demonstration to all women in the country, that they have the opportunities to participate in any kind of sporting activity provided they possess the talent. Overall, Kenya has a sound sporting education that is supported by transparent structures to offer opportunities to every person that is gifted in every kind of sports (Mikinyango 2019).

The election of Donald Trump and notions of American citizenship and inclusivity

            The election of Donald Trump into the presidency was largely influenced by his belief in American Nationalism. Trump’s concept of American Nationalism was strikingly different from her lead rival in the 2016 presidential campaign. Whereas Hillary Clinton believed in an “American Exceptionalism” where advocated for a multicultural society based on assimilations and inclusivity, Trump believes that the only way to return America to greatness is through the promotion of the American Nationalism. In his initial days as the president of the United States, he resorted to the use of certain measures that targeted minorities living in the country. He installed a Muslim ban on seven major Muslim countries. In addition, he issued an executive order that sought to reduce the number of refugees entering America. All these activities were crowned by his major quest to install the ‘’great” southern border wall that was meant to bar Mexicans from gaining access to the country illegally (Heuman and González 2018).

            Trump’s administration has engaged in numerous efforts to propose changes in public policies that would stop America’s long practice of funding the welfare of non-American citizens through taxpayer’s money. The proposed changes, some of which have been effected, have a large impact on the welfare of foreign nationals that was traditionally funded by United States taxes. Apart from engaging in measures to stop foreign aids to minority groups in different parts of the world, Trump has faced several racial allegations against people of color. Most recently, Trump was engaged in a warfare with four congresswomen who are Alexandria Ocasio Cortez, Omar Pressley and Tlaib. Trump leveled an accusation against them claiming they hated the United States. In view of Trump’s responses to racial allegations, one would make the conclusion that he subscribes to a certain set of ideologies that define the American Nationalism and hence the right to acquire citizenship. Overall, it would be safe to conclude that Trump’s presidency has been marred with several accusations on targeting minority groups within America. As a result, minority groups such as the Black Americans have been forced to live in fear as though they are not rightful citizens of the country (Heuman and González 2018).

Exploration of personal identity and how it affects notions of citizenship education.

            Complex links exist between personal identity and citizenship. According to Portis (2016), Identity refers to the symbolic connection that exists between a person and his/her social setting. On a simplistic scale, citizenship could be used to describe the connection between a person to the community. The identity of an individual is bound by more specific characteristics that instil a sense of belonging to an individual. Citizenship, on the other hand, is a legal status which is normally assigned to an individual by an external unit granting the person to enjoy certain rights within a given jurisdiction. The interrelation between citizenship and personal identity allows people to develop valuable insights concerning the various cultures and how they can embrace and accommodate one another to develop into successful nations.

            According to Portis (2016), one of the main aims of schooling is to establish an effective citizenship education system as well as create and reinforce the identities of individuals. The development of an effective mass education system can be viewed as a model that collectively and progressively instils values and cultures in people in order to transform them into successful persons that can function in the real world. An understanding of citizenship and how it relates to personal identities is a critical component of the education system. Today, people exist in multicultural environments that draws in multiple individuals with varied cultures and identities all under one umbrella of citizenship. It is important that the curriculum that is adopted nationwide includes fundamental frameworks that allow for the development of children in line with their national values while recognizing and appreciating their distinct personal identities.

Reference List

Dwyer, P. and Wright, S., 2014. Universal credit, ubiquitous conditionality and its implications for social citizenship. The Journal of Poverty and Social Justice, 22(1), p.27.

Heuman, A.N. and González, A., 2018. Trump’s Essentialist Border Rhetoric: Racial Identities and Dangerous Liminalities. Journal of Intercultural Communication Research, 47(4), pp.326-342.

Lister, R., 2011. The age of responsibility: social policy and citizenship in the early 21st century. Social policy review, 23, pp.63-84.

Mikinyango, A., 2019. The Emergence of Sports Law in Kenya. In Law, Ethics, and Integrity in the Sports Industry (pp. 241-262). IGI Global.

Portis, E.B., 2016. Citizenship & personal identity. Polity, 18(3), pp.457-472.

Revell, L. and Bryan, H., 2018. Fundamental British values in education: radicalisation, national identity and Britishness. Emerald Publishing Limited.

Siddiqi, F.H., 2019. Discrimination is what ethnic groups make of it: subjective perceptions of peripherality among the Mohajirs of Pakistan. Nations and Nationalism, 25(2), pp.697-717.