Education and character should be synonymous

Feb 23, 2014 News

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By Dwijendra Rooplall
Education in its contemporary form is primarily focused on the acquisition of knowledge, the end result of which is to get a job. This has been the entrenched position for quite some time now in Guyana and more so around the world, particularly within the Western model of teaching which most colonized Caribbean countries, as well as Guyana, adopted.
Our education system is one that utilizes the pyramid hierarchy of knowledge concentration where nursery and primary are the foundational blocks and where most of the vital information is imparted, while secondary and tertiary levels strengthen and build on the formative years.
So the formative years are classified as the most important in the dissemination of knowledge and skill learning, and while this is the case, what we don’t see being imparted within those years are the necessary value systems that would mould the student’s character as well as intellectual capacity.
Dr. Ronald Nash, an American and a Professor of Theology and Philosophy, in his work ‘Morality in Education’ opined that the “inadequacies of contemporary education are not exclusively matters of the mind. Traditional religious and moral values are under assault at every level of public and higher education. Our educational system is engaged in a systematic undermining of these values.”
We have currently an unbalanced equation where too much emphasis is placed on academia and very little if not any is placed on morality and developing values. One can clearly see the ramifications of this imbalance in the proliferation of heinous crimes being committed by young lads who kill without any remorse or value for life.
Theology more so moral values should take precedence in Public Schools to impress on the young formative minds the value of life, the universality of life and the bigger picture of cohesion as opposed to individualism.
So that even when ill placed societal pressures such as songs that exemplify the idea that life is about “getting rich quick or die trying” or “fighting fire with fire” tries to grip the young influential mind, it becomes rejected because of the entrenched teachings of morality which impart on the malleable young mind the values of righteousness, love, respect, duty and hard work.
Research has shown the inextricable link that for a society to be well balanced and harmonious, education has to factor in the teachings of morality and values within its curriculum, along with secular knowledge. We see this combination being perpetuated by some private schools, but for it to catch on it has to be incorporated within the public sphere as well.
“Throughout history, important thinkers have contended that there is a higher order of permanent things (like moral norms), that human happiness is dependent on living our lives in accordance with this transcendent order, and that peace and order within human society require respect for this order. The most important task of education is to continually remind students of the existence and importance of this transcendent order as well as of its content,” said Dr. Nash.
According to him, no real progress towards improving education “can occur until all of us realize that an education that ignores moral and religious beliefs cannot qualify as a quality education.”
While the Minister of Education Priya Manickchand is doing an admirable job within Guyana’s education sector, it is hoped that she incorporates this balanced module of learning that would build character in addition to mundane learning so that years down the line, the products of Guyana’s education would be well-rounded individuals who are revolutionary in their thoughts and application thereof.
Change is not something that occurs overnight, but if every young generation is publicly taught the moral values of peace, love, non-violence, duty and truth, the indelible impression that this would have on the coming generations would change significantly how susceptible we are now to corruption, crime and violence.  Because when one child learns these values, when he or she becomes an adult those values are passed down to their children and the process continues. Now imagine that happening to a school of children, and then think of multiple schools, and then expand out and think globally.
As Dr. Nash stated in ‘Education and Morality’, “Religious faith is not just one isolated compartment of a person’s life, a compartment that we can take or leave as we wish. Religious faith is rather a dimension of life that colors, affects and influences everything we do and believe. Human beings are incurably religious, as John Calvin once said. Paul Tillich was right when he defined religion as a matter of “ultimate concern.” Every person has something that concerns him ultimately and whatever that may be, the ultimate concern will have an enormous influence on everything else the person does or believes.”

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