MORAL EDUCATION
Sin has been defined as an immoral act and considered to be a transgression against Divine Law or may be against rules and moralities laid down in various religious Scriptures. Committing a sin is a curse on humanity. A punishable offence, as well. Rape,theft,treachery,corruption,infidelity,pride,wrath, envy etc. are various forms of Sin and are committed by people every now and then. Government of the day and civil society need to condemn such acts and the sinners who commit such violations and unlawful/unethical activities with one voice. Perhaps, such belligerent and disgraceful acts along with other social crimes crop up in our society just because the moral and religious values of the society seem to be on the decline. Time is ripe when we need to be determined and pay attention to introduce better moral education in our educational institutions and other social organizations. Besides making the law against offenders more stringent, media too needs to promote high values in the society.
I am here in Dubai currently and it was really heartening to learn that UAE schools have started teaching Moral Education as a subject from 2017 academic year. The national initiative, originally announced in 2016, deserves all the praise from all those who know how significant and productive it is to include Moral Education in school level curriculum. The initiative signifies the foresightedness and concern of state-of-the-art UAE establishment and dispensation for its future generation.
Needless to mention that today’s education system has become more-or-less a job-oriented affair. Education is not all about cramming formulas and equations. it is, as a matter of fact, about the way it shapes our soul and mind and moral education for that matter plays a vital role in inculcating high values in the life of our younger generation. Moral Education deserves to be an essential part of the school curriculum since it re-shapes the way of our future generations. Whether or not a boy will help an old man cross a road depends on how well he was educated with ethics and moral behavior, not how well he recited the mathematical tables and poems.
Moral education means an ethical education to follow the good and right principles of life. It consists of some basic principles, like truthfulness, honesty, charity, hospitality, tolerance, love, kindness and sympathy. Broadly speaking, teachings from our sacred scriptures can very aptly serve as a source material for preparing the syllabus for Moral Education since our scriptures are the priceless treasure of Moral Education.
In short, Moral Education inculcates basic human values in the minds of children and help in their character-building from the very start of their career/life. Eventually, the process will bear a meaningful impact on nation-building too.
Time is ripe, when in our country also, Moral Education as an independent subject is introduced in school-level curriculum.
The columnist is a writer, translator and professor currently based in Dubai.
