Value based Education

Education without values is perhaps like a body without a soul. Values are not taught they recur from our behavior in our life. Values are what we think, do, react and embed all the time at home, at work during spending our life anywhere anytime. Values guide us to determine our priorities and reactions in our life. Values are the way we live, the way we treat with others and the way we carry our life conducts overall.

It is the value not to waste water and electricity. It is the value not to waste time. It is the value how we treat other people and other people’s properties. It is the value what we do when we are not being watched. As a teacher it is great value to treat every child as we would want our child to be treated or taught and it should be mind-set of every teacher perhaps we would not need teacher training because it is all about commitment and if we are committed to something we find our way. These are the words I heard from a principal of a prestigious institution during her address to audience in a conference. I really admired her words and perhaps most of us ignore the most important aspect the ‘Values’ while doing things with education.

Education help us to glorify these values towards the progress and betterment in us and others. The famous philosopher Aristotle says, Education of the mind without the education of the heart is no education at all. It means that education should be based on developing values and well-being of society and value- based education is the only principal that guides our thinking and behavior.

Sad to relate that our education institutions completely ignore the development of human values. Every single parent, rich or poor consider education as an important investment but the parent’s role in school is limited to paying money for education only. All parents and teachers are responsible for developing good human beings not machines that produce marks and grades with memorization of facts without understanding. Nearly 40% of the children’s active hours in a day are spent at school. Therefore, parents and teachers should extend their support beyond monitoring marks and grade to develop good human beings in the society. However, parents are extremely silent and ignorant towards the school’s lack of interest in terms of developing the student’s mind and character. Here lack of value education plays an extraordinary role in the society. This role can be seen in various kinds such as; use of unruly behavior, revenge taking acts, brutal attacks, bloodshed relationships, demonstrating anti-social acts like using alcohols etc. The list goes longer and longer. The reason is that Parents consider education as passing exams with higher marks rather than developing young leaners minds and souls. Most of the time parents say’ if you will not obtain good marks you will leave behind in competition. Resultantly children learn competition rather collaboration and co-creation.

What the teachers and parents should do to engage the children with values? First and foremost, important thing is to value all the children equally and display great patience by listening carefully to children. Similarly focus on and emphasise the positive, face reality and help pupils who come with difficult issues such as incidents or any mishaps, Only disapprove of poor behaviour, never blame the child, be supportive and avoid shouting and scolding, communicate openly with each other and appreciate the school’s values. Demonstrate values like honesty, self-respect and compassion in yourself. Always walk the talk behavior otherwise if perform differently, all the teaching in the world can be undone for the reason it contradicts what we’ve said. Regardless of what we consciously teach them, our children will emerge from childhood with clear views on what we as parents really value, and with a well- developed value system of their own.