A demand for present situation!

Theodore Roosevelt warns, "To educate a man in mind and not in morals is to educate a menace to society." A worthwhile education should target the total development of learner's personality. But most of the schools emphasise to transmit knowledge due to many underlying reasons. This has created a moral vacuum in the life of the individual, the reflection of which we can see every day in the daily newspaper either- mother killing their children or husband killing wife or teasing girls in public places, and not to mention the recent mushrooming of the terror activities in our country and elsewhere.

Value-based education is needed for developing moral qualities such as humility, truthfulness, honesty, courtesy, tolerance, sacrifice, respect etc. among the children to create a base. C. S. Lewis said "Education without values, as it is, seems rather to make a cleverer devil". So values based education will help in developing positive social attitudes in new generations, which prompt them to raise their voices against social evils, as well as refrain from doing so themselves.

When a school seriously emphasises the moral and spiritual aspects of the curriculum, the students become more reflective and harmonious. The effect on individual pupils, of developing Values Education, is that pupils take greater personal responsibility for their learning and behavior if they are given opportunity to reflect upon their learning gained from the school and relate it with their everyday behaviour. Research, undertaken at Oxford University (Hawkes, 2005), indicates that the most effective teachers of values are those who work to be more self-aware and take time to reflect on the deeper meaning of the values being emphasised in the school. For example, in all the grades in our schools following government curriculum there are chapters on my country, chapters on environment pollution, climate change, stories from where the children can learn about respecting elders in the family etc. If the teachers, while teaching take the issues or morals - like if you love your country what should you do? How you should behave so that the environment of your country is not polluted? What is the indicator of showing love and respect to your country or elders? It will have a more positive impact.

We are all aware that more than 2.5 lakh people gathered at the national parade ground in the capital on our independence day 26th March, 2014, to set a world record by singing our national anthem. The anthem was sung simultaneously by millions at educational institutions and other places all over the country. How many of them sung the song out of feelings towards the country? Did they feel what they were singing and saying? Even though I did not go to the parade ground but showed my respect from home but out of curiosity when I went out to see the condition of the people after the programme, I saw students throwing food packets on the road in front of Jatiyo Sangshad which was given to them during the event after just coming out singing 'Amar sonar Bangla ami tomai bhalobashi (My Golden Bangla I love you)'. Is this the way of showing love to our country? The event was aimed to have Bangladesh's name in the Guinness Book of World Records through paying tributes to the martyrs for their supreme sacrifice for the country and to reignite the spirit of the Liberation war and patriotism, but how many learned the true sacrifice by the martyrs, how many had the spirit of the Liberation war inside them? How many in true sense loved their country in that spirit? Did the schools go deeper into the morals of these issues or give them the opportunity to reflect upon what they are doing for the country or how they should behave after they gain knowledge from school?

As I said earlier, if these were emphasised properly at school and at home, then maybe we would not have seen the recent heinous attacks by the group of young boys. On the contrary, Faraaz, who was brutally killed by the terrorists, belonged to the same age group but with different value based education from his family and institution, which he probably cherished and practiced, and set an example of a good human being which every family and country needs.

Self reflective work by us, especially teachers, is seen to have a powerful impact on pupils, who appear to make a connection between what the teacher says and what she does. Such teachers are authentic, meaning that they seek to achieve similarity between their thoughts, feelings and actions. They have to ensure that the children have to translate the learning into action and be the role model to encourage the children. Therefore schools should take steps to emphasise on value-based education by digging values and morals out from the text and ensure its implementation by monitoring the changed behaviour of the students.

To make the base stronger for values and to ensure an enabling environment the family has a greater role to play so that school education do not go in vain. Morality means learning the difference between right and wrong or good and bad behaviour toward others. Parents and other close family members are essential in its development, because they are the primary social contacts during a person's childhood and adolescence. Teaching your child morals and principles, and setting a good example will help facilitate your child's development.

The writer is the Executive Director, LEADS, and a freelance writer.