ABSTRACT
Many commentators believe that democracy is much eroded, so much so that there is talk of a crisis of democracy. There are various reasons put forward for this, such as dissatisfaction with the political process, lack of trust of politicians and governments, the lack of political literacy, the increasing power of unelected corporations and institutions and the decline in membership of political parties. Civil society is the locus of democracy. Education which takes seriously the formation of citizens so that they accept their responsibilities in a democratic society will only succeed if it is supported both in the basic unit of society, the family, as well as in civil society. Some of the essential ingredients in democracy will include: membership or citizenship of a particular state or territory; equality before the law; and freedom, including of speech, as well as of conscience and of religion.
