A case for moral education

THE EDITOR, Madam:

In the wake of a surge of antisocial and violent behaviour in schools, the Minister of Education, Mrs Fayval Williams, has rightly condemned these actions and has promised to implement restorative justice sessions to manage conflict in schools. While this initiative is welcomed, perhaps another essential component to consider in tackling this issue would be the introduction of a moral education curriculum.

Moral education seeks to help students to distinguish between right and wrong and facilitates reflection on the values and beliefs that lead to a more respectful and harmonious society. Traditionally, moral education in Jamaica has been viewed as the responsibility of the church, but even before COVID-19 decimated church populations, church attendance had been steadily dwindling. Realistically then, moral education can no longer be entirely outsourced to this body.

Our national anthem and pledge are chock-full of values but there is little space within the existing curriculum to allow students to interrogate them. Some would argue that religious education which is taught in most schools should address these concerns, but unfortunately, this subject largely focuses on the rites, rituals and artefacts of religion, rather than the values they espouse. Unsurprisingly then, in 1991, Singapore replaced religious education, which was compulsory, with civics and moral education in order to inculcate a greater sense of personal responsibility, duty to the nation and to promote unity and tolerance in its plural society. And while every lesson plan should have an affective objective which seeks to promote positive attitudes and foster good relationships, teachers often get bogged down desperately trying to cover content to prepare students for the national and external examinations which, sadly, many students routinely fail.

If the school is a microcosm of society then it would be foolhardy to think that Jamaican schools would be anything but violent. In fact, that we have some schools that are relatively peaceful and have been spared the phenomenon of school shootings is a sheer miracle. However, it is now abundantly clear that the values of respect, duty, truth, and justice, we claim to hold in high esteem as a nation, will not be magically absorbed; we must be intentional about teaching them. Japan, which is often lauded for its excellent education system, has a long history of moral education. The evidence of its success is a cohesive and peaceful nation. We should take note.

The creation of a national moral education curriculum would allow all Jamaican students to identify and deepen their understanding of our national values and could potentially help us to stem the tide of violence that threatens to overwhelm our schools. The moral education of our students, and I dare say teachers, should not be left to chance. It is therefore incumbent on the Government to create the curriculum for a programme dedicated to moral education to address our state of moral decay.

MARIA MUTIDJO

Teacher