MORALS AND ETHICS IN SCHOOLS

The National - letters to the editor 24 May 2013

Ethics and moral values are terms that many use interchangeably. These are a set of socially shared concepts of what is good and bad, right and wrong and desirable and undesirable.

Our values influence our orientations, actions and reactions. Educating students on these values is essential but the result is still not evident.

The school system seems to focus on fundamental aspects and fails to see the impact morals and ethics have on students.

For students to become complete individuals in our society, there is a need to focus on teaching ethical and moral values.

The good part is ethical values are universal and heavily stressed in different religions and cultures. But teaching ethics is challenging because of the diverse cultures and religions.

For students to become morally wholesome, they need to learn as much as possible from different people and cultures.

Teachers play a vital role in guiding students on how to conduct themselves with other people.

It is evident that many young people do not know the difference between right and wrong. We often see them engaging in immoral activities because they have no guidance when it comes to morality.

For the education system to become a major contributor in establishing a moral foundation, there is a need to implement two things.

First is the need to feel the presence of God in the school system through prayers and religious subjects. Second, is a need to make ethics study compulsory.

Overseas gay and lesbian activists from the UN will oppose this suggestion.