Extremely interesting to see the UAE making it mandatory to teach Moral Education in all schools. We are privileged to live in a forward thinking country .
There is no denying the fact that we are living in troubled times . On a regular basis we read of mugging, shooting, rapes, plunder , knifing , stealing , robbing in almost every city and community in the world .
The bigger picture- corruption and bribery , war mongering and threats everywhere around the globe.
Things like Terror attacks & shooting on college and school campuses are everyday occurrences .
We have become so conditioned that such news has ceased to faze us any longer and this is sad but undeniably true.
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., said “Intelligence plus character – that is the goal of true education.” When we ponder on what a complete education includes, Dr. King’s words of advice help us understand that pure academic knowledge & intelligence isn’t enough. Examinations , grades and marks do not matter .
In reality, its the content of one’s character that helps to ultimately determine the choices and actions an individual will ultimately take. Dr. King also compared education without morals to a “Ship without a compass on a choppy sea with no destination in sight "
Never a truer word was spoken.
A number of world scholars have linked the implementation of character education in schools to the improved academic performance of students. A study done in 2003 of 600 California schools states that character education “Reduced office referrals, improved attendance and test scores, increased skills for conflict resolution, lessening of risky behavior, and overall improved school climate and civility.” Another study determined that the most commonly affected outcomes included positive impacts on socio-moral cognition, pro-social and behavioral attitudes, and problem-solving skills, among many other areas.
It is very obvious that over the years the focus of education has shifted drastically and there is no denying the fact that our children are being taught too few moral values in school today and if Moral education is included in the curriculum it is at the bottom of the list and given a cursory glance at the most . THIS MUST CHANGE .
This has led to increased violence as evidenced by the regular attacks in school and college campuses . Societies all around the world have been affected with manifestations of increased crime and disrespect for parents, teachers, elders, and other people in authoritative positions.
Moral values help in improving behavior, instilling respect and enhancing relationships with others.
Knowing what is right or wrong is a key element in life that shapes the character of an individual. Good moral values allows a person to make the right decisions and improve their interactions with other people. It help to produce better human beings and this is the need of the hour .
Thus the UAE is definitely on the right track.
What is critical is that school Heads and all staff buy into this and embrace it wholeheartedly.
There are two types of resistance- active and passive .
Active resistance has people disagreeing with an instruction openly . Passive resistance is even worse and difficult to spot . People say yes and agree whole heartedly and then go and do just the opposite .
The initiative of teaching Moral Education and making it compulsory aims to instill ethical values among UAE school students and to promote such concepts as tolerance, respect , love and community participation.
It hopes to develop a spirit of entrepreneurship, positive interaction and responsibility, and encourage a love of learning, creativity, innovation and ambition in pupils.
The challenges of the 21st century required governments, educators and parents to work together to teach ethics and community values to young people, and build an educated, cultured society.
As Educators of the present preparing our pupils for the future , it is imperative that we all must work to ensure that this important initiative succeeds.
There is no denying the fact that we are living in troubled times . On a regular basis we read of mugging, shooting, rapes, plunder , knifing , stealing , robbing in almost every city and community in the world .
The bigger picture- corruption and bribery , war mongering and threats everywhere around the globe.
Things like Terror attacks & shooting on college and school campuses are everyday occurrences .
We have become so conditioned that such news has ceased to faze us any longer and this is sad but undeniably true.
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., said “Intelligence plus character – that is the goal of true education.” When we ponder on what a complete education includes, Dr. King’s words of advice help us understand that pure academic knowledge & intelligence isn’t enough. Examinations , grades and marks do not matter .
In reality, its the content of one’s character that helps to ultimately determine the choices and actions an individual will ultimately take. Dr. King also compared education without morals to a “Ship without a compass on a choppy sea with no destination in sight "
Never a truer word was spoken.
A number of world scholars have linked the implementation of character education in schools to the improved academic performance of students. A study done in 2003 of 600 California schools states that character education “Reduced office referrals, improved attendance and test scores, increased skills for conflict resolution, lessening of risky behavior, and overall improved school climate and civility.” Another study determined that the most commonly affected outcomes included positive impacts on socio-moral cognition, pro-social and behavioral attitudes, and problem-solving skills, among many other areas.
It is very obvious that over the years the focus of education has shifted drastically and there is no denying the fact that our children are being taught too few moral values in school today and if Moral education is included in the curriculum it is at the bottom of the list and given a cursory glance at the most . THIS MUST CHANGE .
This has led to increased violence as evidenced by the regular attacks in school and college campuses . Societies all around the world have been affected with manifestations of increased crime and disrespect for parents, teachers, elders, and other people in authoritative positions.
Moral values help in improving behavior, instilling respect and enhancing relationships with others.
Knowing what is right or wrong is a key element in life that shapes the character of an individual. Good moral values allows a person to make the right decisions and improve their interactions with other people. It help to produce better human beings and this is the need of the hour .
Thus the UAE is definitely on the right track.
What is critical is that school Heads and all staff buy into this and embrace it wholeheartedly.
There are two types of resistance- active and passive .
Active resistance has people disagreeing with an instruction openly . Passive resistance is even worse and difficult to spot . People say yes and agree whole heartedly and then go and do just the opposite .
The initiative of teaching Moral Education and making it compulsory aims to instill ethical values among UAE school students and to promote such concepts as tolerance, respect , love and community participation.
It hopes to develop a spirit of entrepreneurship, positive interaction and responsibility, and encourage a love of learning, creativity, innovation and ambition in pupils.
The challenges of the 21st century required governments, educators and parents to work together to teach ethics and community values to young people, and build an educated, cultured society.
As Educators of the present preparing our pupils for the future , it is imperative that we all must work to ensure that this important initiative succeeds.
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