Unit 1 Social Malaise and the Need for Value Education PDF

Social Malaise and UNIT 1 SOCIAL MALAISE AND THE NEED Need for Value Education FOR VALUE EDUCATION Structure 1.1 Introduction 1.2 Objectives 1.3 The Malaise of Indian Society 1.4 Relation between Education and Value Education 1.5 Need fo...

Social Malaise and UNIT 1 SOCIAL MALAISE AND THE NEED Need for Value Education FOR VALUE EDUCATION Structure 1.1 Introduction 1.2 Objectives 1.3 The Malaise of Indian Society 1.4 Relation between Education and Value Education 1.5 Need for Value Education 1.5.1 The Role of Teachers 1.6 Activities 1.7 Let Us Sum Up 1.8 Answers to Check Your Progress 1.9 References 1.1 INTRODUCTION A child is compared by some thinkers to a seed possessing potential of becoming a full-fledged tree, provided it is given the necessary environment, conducive to its growth. The environment to the child is provided not only by teachers or the school but by the total social – psychological milieu in which he/she happens to live. Secondly, it is not only the deliberate attempts of the school that help the child to develop as a worthwhile person or an individual. Other agencies of education like the home and the community also are sources of education and these agencies greatly influence the children to be moral or immoral. This is because to a great extent children learn (both good and bad things) from the social and the cultural environments, even unconsciously. They pick up behaviours from home, school, peers, and other social agencies. It may even happen without involving any deliberate and conscious efforts on the part of the learner to learn or the social agencies to teach. So the way individuals develop, depends on the socio-cultural environment. This is especially true for young children as they have impressionable minds. According to the Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged (2003) Malaise is derived from the French word mal means bad + aise means ease. It has been defined from different angles: a feeling of unease or depression (Medicine / Pathology) a mild sickness, not symptomatic of any disease or ailment a complex of problems affecting a country, economy, etc. Bulgaria’s economic malaise. From the socio-economic context, several malaises afflict the modern society. Hence, there is the need for right kind of education for children. The concept of education is deeply related with the development of human individual in respect of its different facets of personality – social, psychological, physical, moral economic and intellectual. In a way education, in its true and complete sense, aims at the total development of an individual: as a social, moral and a spiritual being who can meaningfully interact with the physical and the social environment in a worth while manner to the benefit of both the self and others. Education which has value education as an integral part is necessary to develop citizens who can mitigate the social evils. 11 Conceptual Framework The present unit is an attempt to portray the socio-cultural milieu of the present day Indian society – the social malaises and the need for a kind of education, which can resist and combat the undesirable influences that these malaises have on the tender minds of children and about which the elementary teacher is supposed to know. 1.2 OBJECTIVES Following a study of this unit, you should be able to:  describe the major socio-cultural malaise prevalent in Indian society today;  illustrate that mere acquisition of knowledge and skills is not enough for being educated;  relate the major cause of erosion of human values in our society and  justify the need for value-oriented education under the circumstances we happen to live 1.3 THE MALAISE OF INDIAN SOCIETY We shall discuss in this section some of the malaises affecting the Indian society. There is a maddening pursuit for accumulation of physical wealth, power and status at the cost of humanness in us. Though we are very proud of our ancient culture, which upholds spiritual development over materialistic pursuits, but in reality it has become shrouded in the pages of scriptures or of history. Declining social environment is a major determinant of increasing mental health problems in recent years. Poverty, over-crowded living conditions, unemployment, job insecurity and inequity, a growing number of broken relations and marriages, man-made natural disasters, wars, ethnic violence as well as violence against women, children and aged are some of the major factors which have aggravated the situation to a greater extent. Occurrence of incidents of social malaise smashes the semblance of comfort of the world. Severe poverty, family conflict, neglects and violence, alcoholism or drug abuse in the home, or the illness and death of parents, can be some of the reasons that drive the young people to live on their own. From here starts the vicious cycle of neglected lives that impairs spiritual bliss of an individual resulting in loss of self, proving detrimental than any other loss in the world. Issues like torture, mutilation can take place due to oppression, castration under religious or societal pressure, sodomy or sexual abuse that mars one’s psychology and stands his or her way to complete humanness. Considerable percentage of children suffers from malnutrition, are not able to find access to basic education, live in deplorable conditions and endure inhuman treatment. Corruption and crime are the obvious outcome of such frustrated generation because of rapid urban growth along with weak institutions and economic crisis. All social classes are affected by crime and insecurity, but it is the marginalised section of the society which is more vulnerable as it lacks means to defend itself. Every strata of society is witnessing different set of problems. Violence against girls and women cuts across lines of class, income, residence and culture. The situation is no better in the urban areas, where the cases of domestic violence, rape, suicide, dowry deaths are equally prevalent. Physical, sexual and psychological violence have become 12 a part and parcel of human living. Every one of us has to take the responsibility to Social Malaise and Need for Value Education combat the social malaises corroding the society. The Upanishads have taught us the ideal of Vasudhaiva Kutumbkam (i.e. the entire world is my family), yet today we fight with our fellowmen in the name of religion, region or even caste. Some people seek to attach importance to mosques, temples and other religious institutions and try to draw the attention of people from worthwhile issues that can lead to social development and inclusiveness. Such vested interests sustain the grinding poverty of Indian people, abysmal standards of nutrition, social injustice, and the like. We fight for the preservation of the former even with the total neglect of the latter. For example, we may resort to fast unto death on religious issues and even massacre people on these issues but remain unmoved by acute suffering of our people resulting from hunger, disease, malnutrition or even communal hatred. Does religion teach us all this? Certainly not. And if still we do all this or believe in such kinds of things for the sake of religion, we are not religious but bigots or fundamentalists. Essence of all religions is about humanity, equality and about caring for the people. We should seek to develop in children spirituality rather than knowledge of religious rites and rituals, nurture love for people, not hatred towards them. Many of our religious philosophies and texts teach us the lofty ideals of Aparigraha (non hoarding) but we often find some of our religious preachers, accumulating huge material , lust for power and property, and even exploiting people sexually. Our religions teach us the doctrine of Ashimsa (non-violence) i.e. not to inflict pain or cause sufferings to others either by words or deeds, yet most of the violence is perpetrated in the name of religion itself. Religions teach to “love thy neighbour as thy self” and to treat those in trouble with compassion and care. We remain untouched about a person who has met with an accident on the road and may die if not taken to hospital on time, simply because it may cause us some inconvenience or the police would interrogate us about the case. There are hundreds of such cases who die because timely help by the passers by was not rendered. We advocate rational theories of human conduct and action but in our personal life, we are guided by blind rituals, superstitions and orthodoxy. Our great saints like Swami Dayanand, Vivekananda, Mahatma Gandhi, Tagore, Kabir, to name a few have taught us to subject all contentions and moral issues to the demands of situations backed by reasoning but we continue to quarrel and fight over petty social issues. We theorize about social equity, justice and equality of men, yet large sections of our people still continue to be treated as untouchables. On the other hand, although we profess democratic values in public life, some of us still exploit caste factor for personal and political gains. We teach theories of social justice but may not practice them. While we teach lofty ideals, our actions, betray the basic forms of duplicity and hypocrisy. Thus, we face a value crisis, which has resulted in deep social, moral and spiritual vacuum. Corruption in the society is another malaise. It is becoming widespread and deep rooted. Lust for wealth and power and dissatisfaction with simple lifestyles are leading to widespread corruption. Loss of bonding among human beings is also a major social malaise. It is leading to break-ups in families and neighbours becoming strangers. The fellow feeling is on the wane. Substance abuse is also a serious social malaise. 13 Conceptual Framework Commenting on the moral and spiritual vacuum that has been created, Joshi (1994) aptly remarked, “Humanity today stands at a critical juncture. Hope and despair, pride and passion, comfort and confusion fill human hearts in unequal and unstable measure. Whereas the peaks of material progress scaled by some countries enthral humanity as a whole, the depths of social disintegration in many parts of the world sometimes, make thinking people wonder if mankind can make recovery at all.” Social malaise is also reflected in the agencies of the society like the educational systems. Despite the fact that at the conceptual level, education is an initiation into worthwhileness as Peters (1982) opined, but in actual practice, education imparted in our schools, colleges and universities, are in most cases examples of contradiction between theory and practice. For instance, some educational institutions like the private schools are for the privileged sections, out of reach of the poor. This deepens the social divide while education is supposed to bridge it. This contradiction leads to erosion of human value like equality. The erosion of values is not merely episodic but can be seen as a phenomenon (concrete examples are needed to substantiate this point). As per the Delors Commission’s Report entitled “Education for the Twenty First Century” (1996), education is the key to the resolution of tensions: “In confronting the many challenges that future holds in store, human kind sees in education an indispensable asset in its attempts to attain the goals of peace and social justice.” The Report mentions several kinds of tensions in the society that are central to the problems of the 21st century. Some of these tensions mentioned in this Report are: 1. The tension between global and the local: people need to become world citizens without losing their roots and while continuing to play an active part in the life of their nation and their local community. 2. Tension between tradition and modernity: This tension may be resolved by understanding how it is possible to adapt to change without turning one’s back on the past 3. Tension between need for competition and concern for equality of opportunity: to rethink and update the concept of lifelong education so as to reconcile three forces: competition, which provides incentive, co-operation, which gives strength, and solidarity, which unites. 4. Tension between the spiritual and the material: It is education’s noble task to encourage all of us acting in accordance with traditions and convictions and paying full respect to pluralism, to lift our minds and spirits to the plane of the universal and, in some measure, to transcend ourselves. Education alone can empower a generation by creating a social consciousness that can transcend differences of caste, creed, religion, wealth and more. It can create an environment of ‘equity’ in the country and act as a catalyst to initiate and sustain change in the society by eradicating the social malaises. Therefore, education is the key to the resolution of different kinds of tensions in our society. Besides the rampant malpractices in the society, teachers too often do not try to set the system right. Teaching, which earlier was one of the noblest of professions, has simply become one of the vocations for earning livelihood. But the way out of the present scenario is mainly through education imparted by teachers. 14  Social Malaise and Check Your Progress 1 Need for Value Education 1. Discuss any two social malaises existing in Indian society. ……………………………………………………………………………. ……………………………………………………………………………. 2. Mention two tensions as described in the Delors Commission’s Report ………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………… 3. How can education empower a generation? ………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………… 1.4 RELATION BETWEEN EDUCATION AND VALUE EDUCATION If we attempt to analyse the concept of education from the point of view of the kind of behaviour modification it is supposed to bring, it is almost axiomatic that value education, and more so, moral education, is a sine-qua-non – an essential condition of the concept of education. Without inclusion of this essential component, aim of imparting education, which is mainly to develop, good human beings will not be fulfilled. No individual, howsoever knowledgeable, skilled, intelligent or competent he/she might be, can be included in the category of educated persons unless one has developed attitudes and behaviours which are socially worthwhile. Similarly no process of teaching and learning can legitimately be called education, if it fails to transform the individual from a biological to a human being. It will be rather a contradiction in terms to say that a person is highly educated but does not exhibit values in his/her thoughts and actions. An “educated” individual essentially possesses a set of values, which influences his/her life via thinking, feeling and behaving. Devoid of these value aspects, education becomes a tool for developing mere literary and arithmetic skills at the elementary level. The development of cognitive or psychomotor skills , making an individual efficient and skilful in manipulating the environment are important merely as means for becoming a well adjusted human being in an inclusive and humane society. Peaceful co-existence in the human society can be attained only through a kind of education, which is deeply rooted in a value system. The human values simultaneously take care of the interests of others as well as of our own selves without sacrificing the interests of either. 1.5 NEED FOR VALUE ORIENTED EDUCATION The kind of contradictions between what we know and judge as true, good and rational and what we practice in our lives have posed before the humanity a problem. The fabric of human society, to a greater extent is threatened by violence, terrorism, 15 Conceptual Framework theft, tax evasion, pollution, heinous crimes, etc. The social scenario as it exists can be attributed to the consequences of our ill-conceived educational system and practices of child rearing. Our education today is preparing efficient individuals but not good human beings. The framers of New Education Policy (1986) well recognized these lacunae and recommended that, for education to be meaningful, it must be value-oriented. The value context of education, which has been worn thin, needs to be brought back. This is possible only if we consider values as essential to the very concept of education. We need today education which is holistic and not merely centred on knowledge and skills required to earn a livelihood. The rampant corruption prevalent in the society, especially the Indian society, from top to bottom clearly indicates that the society has become sick; the greed for wealth has crossed all rational limits. The doctors in the hospitals would not treat a dying man unless money has been deposited. News of corruption in every section of the society is common. The custodians of law like the police and lawyers are not aboveboard. Even those delivering public goods and services like doctors and teachers are not exceptions. Doctors go on strike to compel the authorities to accede to their demands without any consideration for the inconvenience to the public and sometimes even of loss of human life. Then there is the problem of adulteration. People don’t hesitate to adulterate eatables like milk and milk products, grains, spices, mineral water, green vegetables and fruits. In some products they add harmful chemicals for sake of petty gains. Even life-saving drugs are not spared and in the market many spurious drugs are available. This is the condition of Indian society. Above all if an individual involved in such corrupt practices is caught red- handed, she/he greases the palms of the investigating agency. The evidences are destroyed deliberately to weaken the case and the criminals even go unpunished. It is for this reason that Human Development Index of India has gone down. According to a recent survey of the UNDP, India’s status on Human Development Index has deteriorated to the extent, that India is 134th country of a total of 196 countries of the world on which the survey was conducted. The social scenario delineated as above, compels thinking people to have a fresh look at the concept, process and product of our education. Is the education we receive in our schools, colleges or universities worthwhile? Is it bringing any enlightenment in the people that it is supposed to bring? Do the so-called educated persons have any consideration for doing justice to those who work under them? Do they care for others interests as they care for their own? If the answer is ‘No’, then we need to over haul our education system to include value education embedded in the curriculum. The planet we inhabit and of which we are citizens is a single, living pulsating entity. The human race is an interlocking, extended family – Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam as the Vedas have depicted and the difference of race, religion, nationality and ideology, economic and social status must not come in the way of global unity. The ecology of our planet has to be preserved from mindless and ruthless exploitation and preserved for future generations. There should be a more equitable consumption pattern based on limits to growth, not unbridled consumption. Hatred and bigotry, fundamentalism and fanaticism and greed and jealousy whether among individuals, groups or nations are corrosive emotions which must be overcome. Love and compassion, caring and charity, and friendship and cooperation are the elements that have to be encouraged as we transit into our new global awareness (Karan 16 Singh 1996). Holistic education which acknowledges multiple dimensions of human Social Malaise and Need for Value Education personality – physical, intellectual, emotional and spiritual – can be the only remedy to the social malaise of the present day society. The challenge of combating social malaise cannot be tackled by one group or community in isolation; it needs a holistic approach and national consensus. Religious leaders, professionals community activists, political thinkers and civil society organizations must develop socially sound interventions and strategies for combating the social malaises. Parents should take steps to understand the world of youth and give them confidence through useful techniques of addressing the challenges of society. A stable family environment is essential for the healthy growth of children. Young people should take up the responsibility to understand the values of meaningful, sound and stable family life. Thus Education should aim for integrated development in the student physical, mental, moral and spiritual, besides imparting knowledge in various disciplines. It should strive to make him/her ideal citizens capable of shouldering the responsibilities of national reconstruction. 1.5.1 The Role of Teachers Teachers have a central role to play in student learning, and show them how to improve both individually and as a team. For the teacher to legitimately provide instruction in values, he/she has to be first oriented to such values. It is not sufficient to orient the teachers in human values or add the value aspect in their curriculum; the very process of teaching-learning needs such orientation. More powerful than singing prayers and organising lectures for children are examples set by the teacher himself. The teachers need to set an example of human beings with values. In all their interactions with children in the class or outside they are to see that children are properly cared for, loved and respected as individuals and no action of the teacher should cause injustice, or discrimination against them. Adding a separate component of value education in their curriculum is not going to serve any useful purpose. Rather, a teacher needs to set an example in simplicity, austerity, economy in using material resources of the school, politeness, take a stand against injustice in the school and the community and reinforced by regular instruction in the classroom. All teachers have a vital role in promoting respect for the cultural diversity of their students and the community. Good teaching builds upon the cultural and language backgrounds, ways of making meaning, and prior knowledge that all children bring to the classroom. Effective teachers:  develop their knowledge of other cultures;  have high expectations for all children;  provide a welcoming environment that affirms all children;  work with family members and the community to promote student learning and build bridges of cooperation Culturally informed teaching supports the learning needs of all children, regardless of their cultural or linguistic background. By creating a positive environment in the class and through the process of interactive teaching the teacher slowly but firmly fosters the positive values in children that ultimately help the society to combat the social evils. 17 Conceptual Framework 1.6 ACTIVITIES Discipline: Maintain an ethos in the classroom that is positive and all inclusive, with a feeling of equality, this would help children gain most from values lessons. Children feel secure and able to share their thoughts, feelings and experiences when they know that these are always welcomed and valued. Reflection: This is a time when the children are expected to sit still and silent for anything from one to four minutes, this has proved to help children in a variety of ways. It regulates breath and heartbeat and so calms and relaxes the body. It quietens the mind, focuses attention and increases concentration. It helps to develop awareness and intuition, and the children are more able to get in touch with their own feelings. Story telling: Using a story where possible as a stimulus for the lesson has many advantages. It can put across the value in a way that all levels of awareness can access. It generates feelings, captures attention and often inspires. The listener is able to find parallels in their own experiences which can help in future difficult situations. Use a stimulus for the lesson that may be based on a story, discussion, experience or artifact, etc. The learning objective should be made clear, for e.g. to understand why the value of honesty is an important guide to our behaviour. Discussion: Next is the teacher-led discussion that lies at the core of the lesson. Careful questioning leads the pupils to a deeper appreciation of meaning and helps them to translate the value into areas of their own experience. Enjoyment: The next section of the lesson will be an activity that will encourage pupils to engage with the value. Enjoyment should be a key characteristic of value lessons and is vitally important. Aim to make enjoyment a prime element will see positive effects in many other areas of school life. To be specific, teachers may carry out activities that lead to value inculcation in children. Some of these activities are: 1. Narration of relevant stories, poems, parts of text from scriptures of different religions that emphasise the need for good deeds. Such narrations may not only be by teachers but also by children; 2. Role play; 3. Staging drama based on stories, epics; 4. Celebration of festivals; 5. Activities for protection of environment like planting trees; 6. Caring for the less privileged like teaching children out of school; helping the needy and 7. Visit to localities where children can contribute. This part on curriculum of pre-service teacher education is to be deleted because the course is not meant for teacher educators but for teachers. 18  Social Malaise and Check Your Progress 2 Need for Value Education 1. Mention two activities that lead to value inculcation? ………………………………..................…………………………….. ……………………………………………..................……………….. 2. What is the relation between education and value education? …………………………...............……………………………………. ……………………………………...............…………………………. 3. How should teachers impart instruction in values? ………………………………………...............………………………. …………………………………...............……………………………. 4. What is the concept of global unity? ………...............………………………………………………………. …………………...............……………………………………………. 1.7 LET US SUM UP Since it is the introductory unit to the whole programme of value education for elementary school teachers, it is essential that we make a proper case for it and justify its need so that teachers at the elementary level appreciate the need for it. With this objective in view, the unit delineates the contradictions and inconsistencies existent in our society regarding what we profess and what we practice. While we preach lofty ideals of social justice, our actions betray them bringing out our duplicity and hypocrisy. Thus, we face a value crisis, which needs to be resolved essentially. The spiritual vacuum that we face today needs to be filled up with love care, compassion and justice. We have also discussed that such a situation has happened because of the weakness of our education system and especially because of the role the teachers play. Teaching, which was earlier one of the noblest professions, has simply become a vocation for earning livelihood and nothing more. The New Education Policy (1986) well realized this lacuna of education. It recommended that education to be able to meaningfully play its role in transforming the biological infant into a socially worthwhile and competent human being must be value oriented. The value context of education which has been worn out, needs to be brought back. This is possible only if we consider values like care for others and justice essential to the process of education. The teacher can play the most significant role if she/he takes care of human consideration in all his/her interaction in and outside of the class. The need for value orientation of the entire process of education can never be over emphasized. The Delors Commission on “Education for the Twenty First Century” realized the significance of learning to live together – learning with others and named this concept one of the pillars of education. In essence the only remedy to the global social malaise is education, which is rightly conceived and properly practised. Teacher 19 Conceptual Framework needs to set an example in simplicity, austerity, economy in the use of school resources and politeness. 1.8 ANSWERS TO CHECK YOUR PROGRESS Check Your Progress 1 (i) a) Fighting with our fellowmen in the name of religion, region and caste. b) Fighting on religious issues and even to massacre people on such issue. (ii) a) Tension between global and the local b) Tension between tradition and modernity. (iii) Education alone can empower a generation by creating a social consciousness that can transcend differences of caste, creed, religion, wealth and more. Education alone can create an environment of ‘equity’ in the country. Check Your Progress 2 (i) a) Narration of relevant stories, poems, parts of text from scriptures of different religions b) Role Plays. (ii) a) No process of teaching-learning can legitimately be called education if it fails to transform the individual from a biological to a human being b) To learn about peaceful co-existence in the human society can be attained through a kind of education which is deeply rooted in a value system. (iii) a) The process of teaching-learning needs orientation to impart instruction of values b) Teacher needs to set an example in simplicity, austerity, economy in the use of school resources and politeness. (iv) The concept is that the human race is an interlocking, extended family – Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam as the Vedas have said, and the difference of race, religion, nationality and ideology, economic and social status must not come in the way of global unit. 1.9 REFERENCES Dagar B.S. and Dhull, I. (1995) Perspectives in Moral Education, New Delhi: Uppal Publishing House Jacques, Delors (1996) Learning the Treasure within – Report of the International Commission on Education, Paris: UNESCO Publishing Joshi, Kreet (1995) in B.S. Dagar and I. Dhull. Perspectives in Moral Education. New Delhi: Uppal Publishing House Karan Singh (1996) Education for the global society In Jacques Delors, Learning the Treasure within – Report of the International Commission on Education. Paris: UNESCO Publishing Peters, R.S. (1966) Ethics and Education, London: Allen and Unwin Peters, R.S. (1982) in Downey and Kelly. Moral Education, London: Harper and 20 Row.