Civics and Governance
Primary 4 · Social and Religious Studies
Civics and Governance
Lesson 5 of 5
14 min
After umuganda one Saturday, the people of Habimana's village hold their monthly meeting. An old man stands up. "The little bridge over the stream is broken. Our children cannot cross to school when it rains." The cell leader writes it down and promises to take it to the sector. Two months later, the village builds a new bridge together, with materials from the district. Everyone claps. This is good governance at work.
Governance is the way leaders run a place and make decisions. Good governance means that leaders run things in a way that is fair and open and that serves all the people.
| Factor | What it means | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Participation | Citizens take part in decisions. | People vote in elections and give their ideas at community meetings. |
| Accountability | Leaders answer for what they did. | Every year, leaders show whether they met the targets in their imihigo (performance contracts). |
| Transparency | Leaders are open about plans and money. | The district tells people how it spent its budget. |
| Rule of law | Everyone obeys the law, leaders too. | A leader who breaks the law is punished like anyone else. |
| No corruption | No bribes and no stealing of public money. | People get services they have a right to without paying a bribe. |
| Equality and unity | Every citizen is served equally. | Women and men, rich and poor, all get the same services. |
| Peace and security | People live and work without fear. | Police, leaders and citizens work together to keep villages safe. |
A bribe is money or a gift given to a leader or worker to get something unfairly, or to get a service faster. Corruption is using a position of power for your own gain. Both are against the law.
Rwanda uses some of its own ideas, built from its culture, to govern well:
Tip
Remember "PART": Participation, Accountability, Rule of law, Transparency. When all four are there, a district is well governed.
Answer: When leaders run a place in a way that is fair and open and that serves all the people.
Answer: Leaders being open with people about their plans and money.
Answer: Participation.
Answer: Money or a gift given to get something unfairly, or to get a service faster.
Answer: Performance contracts in which leaders promise clear targets and are checked every year.
What you learned today
Sources and credits
The list of home-grown solutions follows the Rwanda Governance Board (https://www.rgb.rw/1/home-grown-solutions, link only, no text copied). The rest of the lesson is written by Ganzaa.
This lesson adapts CC BY-SA material and is shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Quick check
Match each word to its meaning.
Tap one on the left, then its partner on the right.
