The Importance of Moral Education 

There is a special need today for evolving a new system of education in India which must be in tune with our major values of national tradition and integration. This system can only nourish and strengthen our national consciousness. Before 1976, education was the exclusive responsibility of the states. By the constitutional amendment of 1976, education was included in the Concurrent List. While the role and responsibility of the states in education remained largely unchanged the union government accepted a larger responsibility for reinforcing the national system of education to bring about uniformity in education.

Education means the fostering of the personality through the continuous development of innate qualities of a person. It aims to adjust the rhythm of the individual life with the rhythm of the society. This adjustment involves strengthening of one character and consolidation of the moral fiber. Today our education system lacks these moral standards.

From ethical point of view human actions can be judged as good or bad right or wrong moral or immoral. These judgments are always determined by the common moral standard of our society. Morality is not a law imposed upon us by our fellow men. It is a law that we ourselves can understand and choose for our guidance because we see that it is good sense to do. Broadly morality means honesty of character, fairness in attitude, absence of evils like hatred, jealously, greed, telling lies, etc.  The ultimate objective of education is to inculcate these human values in the students.

Today life has become mechanical. Modern man has become very materialistic and is totally preoccupied in pursuit of material things. This excessive urge for materialistic gains has made him ignore the spiritual and moral aspects of his life. It is a fact that today the educational system has failed to inculcate in young people moral values. Despite the phenomenal increase in the number of educational institutions, there has been a deterioration of human values in our society. Charity, sympathy, selfless service, helping others and such other qualities are found only in a few people nodes. This is matter of great concern of reductionists, not only in India but all over the world. According to the parliamentary standing committee on human resources Development the concerted efforts made during the last six decades have failed to achieve the desired results. Well chalked out plans and strategies for making our education value oriented still remain on paper.

Now moral education is not included in any syllabus whether of science or humanities. But our ancient universities of Nalanda and Taxila focused on imparting moral education to the students. Then teachers laid emphasis on the need to become a perfect human being. Values like respect to elders and teachers, discipline and restraint in life were taught by the teachers. in ancient times children were sent to the guru’s ashram not only to imbibe education which could equip them to earn lively hood, it also to imbibe moral and spiritual values. Such value she lapped them to sustain themselves in their moments of confusion and anxiety. Today these values are completely overlooked by our education system.

Educationists opine that morality cannot be taught as a subject in any educational institution. It is something which child learns from its parents an family. As our country is secular country, it is not possible to include religion as a syllabus in schools of colleges. The moral education can be given through discipline and punishment for violating the codes of conduct.

Moral education can be given through value education curriculum by all boards and universities. At school level, the syllabus should include folk tales. Stories of patriotism, biographies of great men,, poems, parables providing valuable lessons for the student. At university level the university grants commission has introduced a scheme of value education among students. Imparting human values to the students is the need of the hour. Moral education is most successful  when it is passive and indirect.

Our indifference to morality is clear from the widespread corruption in our society. There is no sphere of public administration where this evil does not rule supreme. Bribery has become a common feature of our public life we have to start form the grassroots level to impart moral education to our children.

Moral character is very important in our life. No individual can become a great man without character. All great men like Gandhiji, Vivekanand Subhash Chandra Bose and Abraham Lincoln were men of strong and noble character. As character is necessary for individuals, it is also necessary for a nation. A nation cannot make progress if it has lost its character. Thus introduction of moral education from grassroots to university level is very necessary.