Swami Vivekananda said of Education: “Education is the manifestation of perfection already in man…”

To become divine (or great), man must give up suspicion, jealousy, conceit and learn to work unitedly for the common good. Courage, faith (in oneself and in God), patience and steady work, according to Swami Vivekananda are the way to success. He said that purity, patience and perseverance overcome all obstacles.

Having moral values and learning is just building having a strong root; for the body, having a healthy root will help in having healthy leaves and branches. A famous quote says if wealth is lost nothing is lost, if health is lost something is lost; when character is lost all is lost”. This is the reason schools have introduced a subject called moral science so that moral teachings can be disseminated among the today’s modern children. Inculcating a sound moral base is becoming a tougher challenge day by day.

Students today are so much into studies and games but somewhere moral teachings becomes compulsory as it gives them a proper shape and direction as how to act or react during various difficult situations. Moral values need to be inculcated in all age groups especially in young children as it is said young minds are empty just as a plain white sheet so whatever mark we leave the impression remains for years. When it comes for a teacher to inculcate a moral base in their students it takes a lot more as teachers are the ones who shape our thoughts and mind to a large extent.

Moral education means an ethical education that helps choose the right path in life. It comprises some basic principles such as truthfulness, honesty, charity, hospitality, tolerance, love, kindness and sympathy. Moral education makes one perfect. Education is not aimed at obtaining only a degree, it includes necessary value based teachings which result in character building and social improvement too.

It is the need of the hour that schools today should include the concept of hidden-curriculum which refers to the transmission of norms, values, and beliefs conveyed in the classroom and the social environment. It helps to reinforce the lessons of the formal curriculum but many schools neglect it. They focus more on language, subjects and marks. For example, on one hand a school may publicly claim and ensure that its education policy and practices are formed in such a way that all students succeed academically.

At the same time, it can be observed that the students of the particular school are contributing to undesirable behaviors whether it is bullying or cheating on exams. This type of education will barely help a child to face life situations like opinion making, decision making and right course of action. To curb this problem, schools should adapt and offer special classes, seminars, and workshops with an expert counsellor under the guidance of educators who can help in incorporating ‘values’ lessons into the curriculum in order to foster well-rounded personality development in children.

Our society today is much advanced, much better than it used to be but what if the people of a society are not well mannered? With rapid urbanisation and modernisation, the moral values of people are degrading day by day. An individual is not able to trust anyone be it their relatives or friends. Trust, integrity, love, and brotherhood all their feelings are fading away with time. It is the moral values that teach us to share and make new friends at school but today, children are taught not to trust anyone and make less of friends.

There is cut throat competition everywhere be it schools, colleges, offices or any talent competition. In today’s materialistic world, people are jealous of each others progress but rather than being suspicious and envious one must support and co-operate each other and work unitedly for the common welfare. In this industrialised era, most of the parents are working because of which they spend less time with their children due to which they lack moral values and are not able to differentiate between what is wrong and right.

The present scenario needs to undergo a radical change as the country’s future depends on its children.

The author is Sumit Tomar, director of Vedas International School based in Sohna, Gurugram.

Also read: Moral science classes

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