Values and Morals do Matter

While the PPSMI debate is still ongoing, I would like to touch on another subject in our education system which needs due attention: Moral Education. 

When I was a student, I used to think that Moral Education was a waste of time. Even though it was an exam subject in the SPM, I believed then and even now, that a grade in this particular paper does not represent the actual moral standing of a person. Memorizing the 36 'nilai-nilai murni' was just another form of rote learning which had taken up unnecessary space in my brain. 

However, after a recent trip to China, I do think that perhaps Moral Education is useful after all. Nearly everywhere we went in Beijing, basic courtesy was so lacking. It was so evident in the way that shopkeepers would scold customers who did not buy their wares and in people who shoved us out of the way while queueing without so much as an "Excuse me". Traffic laws were flouted habitually. Honesty was pretty much non-existent. Most tourists who have been to China would attest to the experience of what-you-paid-for-is-not-what-you-thought-you'll-get. Chinese locals spat everywhere they went, even within the marbled floors of a museum! 

After observing the locals' behavior, I concluded that there is no 'moral code' for them to abide by. The damage done since the Cultural Revolution has led to the deficiency of humanitarian values. In the wake of their massive economic growth, the society has become so "ultra-utilitarian that it concerns itself with rich lists, GDP growth and test scores" (Jiang Xueqin, The Diplomat). It is frightening how there's a fake version of everything from Gucci bags to eggs. Human lives have so little value that people would rather compensate a death than extend help and treatment as evidenced from the tragic Wang Yue incident. 

In Malaysia, we are fortunate as we still have our religion and a standard moral guideline through Moral Education in schools. However, we should not rest on our laurels as our society is still grappling with countless social diseases; domestic and child abuse, teen pregnancy, baby dumping, bullying, divorce, corruption… just to name a few. Therefore, while it is good to maintain the subject, the content should be revised and integrated into other areas so that it remains relevant to our children and youths. Apart from that, there has to be a paradigm shift from the obsession with straight A's to character building. We do not want our future society to be so driven by materialistic wealth that values like integrity and altruism are shelved. 

In the words of Martin Luther King Jr. : "The function of education, therefore, is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically. But education which stops with efficiency may prove the greatest menace to society. The most dangerous criminal may be the man gifted with reason, but with no morals." 

Malaysians can not, should not, MUST not walk down this path.

(published on 11/12/2011) link: Values and Morals do matter

[the editor edited it to make it 'less offensive']

Carpe Diem, everyone!

Becky