Teach ethics in school

 

 

ARTHUR NKALUBO

Ethics form a very central part of our lives as humans and therefore should play an important role in our education curricula in different subjects.

On a constant basis, we get bombarded with media reports of fraud or information leaks.  Yet, ethics remain an omission in many subjects at school. In both the private and in the public domain, ethical behaviour is still lacking.  Students need to be challenged as to how they should live their lives.

The urgent need to teach ethics in our society should start from the classroom.  As the school lays emphasis on teaching maths and English as compulsory courses, more concern grows for the inclusion of ethics.

As a society, we should perhaps not be surprised as to where all the lack of integrity, self-regulation or lack of social responsibility comes from.

Much as we may never admit it, the family unit which is the back bone of every society including ours is broken. This lack of integrity or even empathy that underpins our society has impacted greatly on the moral fibre of our society.

Amid all this, is a generation which lives in exclusion. It is a generation which continues to drift away from social arc of morality in their lives. A shift away from the ordinary family values has ensured the reproduction of “imaginary families”.

Perhaps not astonishing as we spend much of our time before screens, namely our phones, televisions or computers. For some, like those we call “Kifeesi” who among their ranks, are mostly young men without a decent education, life has no meaning.

To all those living a secluded life, it is an endless struggle to afford the life basics.  A life on the edges of society has forced many to shun hard work, join gangs to resort to a life of crime. It is those gangs that give them the taste of what a family is.

Religion aside, an education fine-tuned to inculcate morals and values to care for the vulnerable would be befitting in the circumstances. The country too, fast changing, with a rise in the middle class partly due to increased access to education.

We think of the dramatic rise of the middle class as a sign of economic optimism. Yet, the push for self-interests and excessive desires by the middle class to sustain their “high-life” has alienated them from those in need. The desire to maintain this quality of life at any cost has come at an expense.

With the property prices sky-rocketing, coupled with an increase in the prices of basics, those who cannot afford continue to struggle with how to cope.  The middle class alone cannot be responsible for this, even though they probably control some sectors of the economy, the whole Ugandan society is polarised along the lines of the haves and the have nots.

But why ethics? One might possibly wonder.  Several stories of unethical mismanagement of refugee funds by officials from the office of the prime minister in the media keep re-emerging.

Astonishingly, it’s not the first time the same office has been under scrutiny. Need I mention some of the enormous claims involved in litigation. Outrageous!

The case of extortion scams by MTN workers, refugee officials or even perhaps numerous cases of police officers falling short of ethical behaviours.

Bank officials too, who compromise bank details of some of their clients, are devoid of any integrity as public figures, who have amassed a lot of wealth in a short period of time compared to their earnings.

The actions of those involved in these scams seem to be inspired by “what´s in it for me” and no regard whatsoever for the public at large. Nowadays, one risks getting a heart attack by just looking at their medical bill. Isn’t it ironic that all those involved in these unethical behaviours are supposedly educated?

Those involved in most of these cases, can seemingly, afford the best lawyers in town who could easily get them off the hook. Aristotle once said that educating the mind without educating the heart is no education at all. Sadly, this seems very true.

Children should not be expected to grow up acting morally or ethically when all they are exposed to, is to the contrary. Morals need to be part of the school curriculum.

Education on how to make value-based decisions should be taught to students from an early stage. Such an education coupled with a mind-set change which imparts empathy towards others with whom they live in society should be prioritised.

We certainly cannot change how everyone thinks, but we can challenge students how they should live their lives. All of this should start from the classroom.

The writer´s interests are law, education and gender.  Can be reached at arthurnkalubo50@gmail.com