In the first part of this article published in the last issue (Issue No. 17) Syed Tanveer Ahmed conceptualises internalisation of values and devises a module for understanding and teaching of moral values in schools. In this second part, he opines that the process of character-building is not possible simply by thrusting information upon the minds of students. Rather, it requires other favourable factors and an environment (ecosystem). This environment is provided by the society or community.
The National Education Policy 2020 (NEP 2020) has given great importance to SDG (Sustainable Development Goals) and has made it an important part of its policy. SDG means the use of natural resources in such a way that they are available to future generations and those future generations do not face difficulties in leading their lives due to the lack of these resources.
For example, if there is a decrease in oxygen because of air pollution, future generations may have to carry oxygen cylinders with them for survival. If the underground water reserves are mercilessly drained and no formal plan is formulated and implemented to eliminate polluting rivers then drinking water for future generations might be endangered, leading to a major crisis. Therefore, such development, which maintains the balance of our natural resources, is called SDG i.e. Sustainable Development Growth.
The United Nations believes that the introduction of SDGs and the practical work required to reach those goals must be undertaken by students and related important values should be inculcated in students. Schools can choose such values at their level. The Forum for Promotion of Values in Schools (FPVS) can also select values and projects at the block and city levels that can create awareness of SDGs among students and inspire them towards practical action.
For example, the value of saving water by avoiding wastage, the importance of saving electricity, the need to preserve air from pollution, the ban on use of plastic, minimising the use of tissue paper, and creating awareness about benefits of using less paper, etc.
VALUES FROM LESSONS IN TEXTBOOKS
Many values are also mentioned in the textbook lessons taught to the students. For example, a book from the primary class has a lesson on the family. In this lesson, members of a family are mentioned in which, apart from Father and Mother, paternal and maternal grandfathers are mentioned. When this lesson is taught, respect for elders is mentioned. In the textbook that mentions the family, the value of respect for elders can be chosen for the children of that class.
Another example can be taken from a science book. The science textbook also has a lesson about fresh and salt water. That is, about the types of water. Water pollution can also be mentioned while teaching this lesson. The value that can be taken from this lesson is to protect water from pollution. In this way, while taking the lesson, the teacher also emphasises the moral value derived from this lesson. The teacher highlights the moral value and tries to imbibe it in the students.
The process of teaching ethics while taking lessons is termed as an integrated approach. That is, morality should be taught by connecting it with the original subject. NEP 2020 mentions and proposes to adopt this method and also gives it importance. The upcoming NCERT books may be prepared with this objective. Many private schools use books from private publishing houses as textbooks in their schools. Such schools try to inculcate these values in students by selecting values from the subjects.
Phase IV
The process of character-building is not possible simply by thrusting information upon the minds of students. Rather, it requires other favourable factors and an environment (ecosystem). This environment is provided by the society or community. That is why it is said that a functioning and flourishing society is one in which people spread good in society and strive to establish justice and fairness so that the world becomes a paradise.
However, where the morals of individuals are involved in the formation of society, there is a need to maintain a moral system based on established and balanced principles. It is a continuous effort that individuals and society must strive to undertake. Efforts for moral education, character-building, and moral inculcation should be comprehensive and not just an academic process.
The process of character-building does not only take place within the classroom or school campus but is influenced by the students’ homes, circle of friends, society, and state policies. Therefore, the process of character-building should work on all these levels. We can call it the holistic approach toward value-based education. We have mentioned school-level and block-level forums in Phase I and Phase II. Both these forums consider the character-building of students to be implemented in all the above phases.
The five levels at which the processes of character-building should be performed are as follows:
Level 1
The students’ personality or personality improvement – at this level, effort will be made to awaken the consciousness of the students and inculcate values in the consciousness of students. Values should be inculcated in students when they are young.
Almost all psychologists agree that information that sits in the subconscious, when needed, enters the part of the mind that we call the active mind or active brain. This active brain provides subconscious guidance. Therefore, it is said that the process of teaching values to children should begin from the birth of the child. There can be many ways of gaining consciousness about morality, which we will mention in the next step.
Just want to make it clear here that the first level of moral education is the consciousness of an individual. If he consciously accepts the values then he does not find it difficult to apply those values in all phases of life. This task is both easy and difficult. It is a little easier in the early stages of life, but the process becomes a little more difficult as students enter the stages of cognitive maturity. Because in contemporary times, the intellect is trained in such a way that it accepts the knowledge gained through the senses. Since moral education is related more to the subconscious and the intuitive realm of the mind, this process becomes a bit more difficult if the process is delayed.
Human beings have two positions or statuses. One is their material status and the other is their spiritual status. Sciences that are related to physical and material facts are easy to read and teach. The process of character-building is based on the individual’s spiritual status or his spiritual personality. Therefore, this work requires more effort than other subjects do. Since character is related to the level of certainty of faith in the ultimate truth, it is not an easy task to create that certainty about the ultimate truth in students. Some basic knowledge of modern philosophy and psychology is necessary to carry out this task in today’s material and atheistic era. Unless an individual believes in the realities of the unseen, it is difficult for his character and morals to reach the desired level.
Therefore, at the first level, the importance of values and the benefits of converting values into character should be instilled in the minds of children in such a way that their whole lives are built based on these values and these values begin to be reflected in their lives. We have described in the next part of the article (Methodology) a method of awakening values at the level of consciousness.
Level 2
After the awakening or realisation of values in the consciousness, the practical process will now begin. After the awakening of consciousness, the second level will be the inculcation of values in students. Educators should try to make the values that students have learned a part of their individual lives with interest and enthusiasm. Values should not just be for talking or to increase knowledge, rather values are meant to enhance the quality of one’s individual life.
Today there are many personality development programmes around the world, which emphasise that a person’s character should become so noble that he/she becomes the centre of attraction for people. One’s personality remains incomplete unless his/her values are reflected through his/her character. As we have mentioned above, students should display the best values according to their age.
For example, if we are inculcating the attitude of purity and cleanliness among students of Class II then we should see some obvious changes in them like – The students are coming to school wearing clean clothes/dresses. The students are taking care of their physical hygiene, which includes hair trimming, combing, nail cutting in time, etc.
Points 1 and 2 of character-building are the ones that usually come to mind for teachers, but today educators need to expand their thinking and engage in character-building in innovative ways. Apart from the two habits mentioned here, the character-building process of cleanliness can also be evaluated by checking if the students clean their plates after eating at home, etc.
Level 3
A student spends most of his time at home. School life is governed by order and discipline.
School life is not as varied and diverse as life at home. At home, Mother, Father, and other relatives of the student are also present. A family is an important unit of social life. The character-building project that we are launching in the school should not be limited to the student’s personality but should go beyond the student and influence the family, society, and country. That is why it has been said that the future of nations is decided in the classroom.
The student should become an epitome and preacher of the morals that he/she learns in school. As he preaches these morals, he should try to spread them in his home as well. Therefore, if the lesson of sanitation and hygiene is being taught in the classroom, the student should experience its effects in his home. For example, a teacher of a school gave a project on hygiene to Class 5 students that they should ensure cleanliness in their homes and gave the students a practical task to write the current situation related to cleanliness in their homes.
For reviewing (the hygiene situation), the teacher also gave some tips to help and guide the students. For example, how many garbage bins are there in the house? Are there separate bins for dry waste and wet waste? How many times a day is the house cleaned (swept)? Is the house cleaned with a disinfectant? Does the dirty water accumulate somewhere in the house? When are the dirty dishes in the house cleaned and who does it? If there is a refrigerator in the house, how often is it cleaned? On how many days are the bed sheets, sheets, and blankets (that are in daily use) washed? If you have an open drain around your house, how frequently is it cleaned, etc?
A week later, the students wrote down the conditions of their homes concerning the above points. Later, the teacher visited the students’ homes and verified the things written by the students in their reports. If any discrepancy was detected in a student’s report, the teacher corrected it in the light of his observation. After all the reports were transparent, the teacher presented a plan to the students to overcome the deficiencies in hygiene found in their homes, which consisted of certain practical tasks. Awareness among the students was created. Targets were given to raise the standard of cleanliness in their homes.
A month later, when the teacher inspected the homes of these children, positive effects were felt in 80 per cent of the students’ homes. This project was executed in the ‘Gori Parlia’ area of Bengaluru, India. In this way, projects should be created and executed in a family or home innovatively.
Level 4
After their families, students are most influenced by their friends. This is the reason it is emphasised that students should not fall into bad company. Together with their friends, students experiment with new things. The capacity for collective effort arises at this level. The concept of teamwork is born here. The thrill of working together with friends is created. This specific human trait should be used to develop virtues in individuals.
Regardless of age, students show great interest in doing activities with friends. Keeping this temperament in mind, student organisations like Scouts and Guides, NCC, and NSS must carry out various activities in schools and colleges.
In the same way, other student organisations in schools and colleges can carry out the process of character-building among students. For example, on the Republic Day, an organisation by the name of ‘Gulshan’, which works among children in Karnataka, asked the students to carry out some exemplary work with their friends and report their activities either in writing, orally, or by recording (it on their mobile phones) and presenting it in video form. Because of this announcement, the students performed many services in a unique manner.
Engaging in philanthropic activities with friends creates awareness about carrying out righteous work in a collective manner and the values for which the activities are undertaken are imbibed in the students.
We see in society that students often learn bad habits from their friends. Therefore, students should be given a programme to promote virtues together with their friends. It will be a great help and aid in character-building of children.
Level 5
The fifth level is to make a positive impact on the community or society. In NEP 2020, school-to-society connectivity has been identified as an important responsibility of schools. The meaning of school-to-society connection is to connect society to the school and vice versa. This theory is also termed as “Connect School with Community”. This approach is now gaining prominence in Western countries. In the West, colleges and universities are connected to society more than schools. There are many details of connecting educational institutions with society. Here we will examine the possibilities of using this approach for character-building in students.
We have mentioned above in this article that society has a great influence on students in the process of character-building. Similarly, students should be made to feel that their activities have a profound impact on society; in fact, the result of their actions is reflected as a social ethic or moral character in society.
If the individual is reformed, a better society comes into existence. Society helps the individual, and similarly, the individual plays an important role in building the society. Today, there is a general trend that “I should benefit whether anyone else does or not” or “I must derive my share of utility whether others get that or not” or “I will extract my share of pleasure irrespective of its positive or negative outcome on society”. Such concepts should also be removed from the thinking of students.
NEP 2020 also emphasises that those who achieve certain levels of success in society should be invited to educational institutions so that the students can get motivation, guidance, learnings, and inspiration from them. Similarly, the students should be made to feel that they should also take some positive steps for society.
While society includes individuals, there are other entities in the environment too. Therefore, students should be motivated to serve both society and the environment. The school can suggest various projects and practical work can cultivate this passion. For example, students can hold a rally in their school neighbourhood to raise awareness about water conservation.
We have mentioned sanitation projects in Level II and Level III. Continuing in the same vein, here we can make a project on doing some social work wherein students conduct a campaign to create awareness about separating dry waste and wet waste in their locality. If littering is being done somewhere, then to change this habit, students can sit at the place, explain to those who litter, and encourage them to put the waste in the garbage collection vehicle or throw it in a place that is allocated for that purpose.
Level 6
In the sixth level, we should make the students realise that the best values are those that bring improvement in the life of the individual and have an impact on the collective life as well. One manifestation of collective life is social life and another manifestation is the governance and administration by the state. When students enter high school, they should be made to realise that they are responsible citizens of the country. Some duties and responsibilities are imposed on them according to the Constitution of India.
NEP 2020 emphasises that students should be taught their constitutional duties and responsibilities. To inculcate a sense of duty among the students and to make them exemplary citizens, the school should conduct a character-building process in this regard among the children.
It is often written in the vision or objectives of the schools that – “We will make the students the best citizens of the country”. To achieve this goal, while the process of character-building on the above five levels should be carried out effectively, there is also a need for practical work at this sixth level.
We have written at the beginning of the article under – “Selection of Values” that the principle of participation in good governance should be inculcated in the students. For example, a school organised a ‘Student Parliament’ by inviting students from nearby schools. In this parliament, the students discussed some issues related to cooperation. At the end of the Student Parliament, the students passed a few resolutions and presented them to the president of the local corporation. As a result, the city corporation paid attention to the issues raised by the students. (to be concluded)
[The writer is Director, Markazi Taleemi Board, Jamaat-e-Islami Hind. He may be contacted at [email protected] or 9844158731]