Building moral characters through education
Sunday, 1 November 2009
Kazi Enamul Haque
IT is of greater significance to note that education's goal should be to enlighten an individual. It can play a pivotal role in sharpening the intellect and refining the sensibility. Generally we can notice two contrasting behavioral patterns in an individual, one rational and another irrational. Environmental factors in developing one's mental, emotional and psychological health bear special significance. Having been confronted with numerous odds and adverse circumstances, optimum utilisation of one's hidden potentials are greatly obstructed.
Education is universally recognised as one of the fundamental human requirements which serve the purpose of an individual's overall uplift so as to become enlightened and cultivated.
An individual equipped with proper education develops a sense of proportion within himself or herself and is never obsessed with parochialism as well as narrow self-interest. He/she nurtures the desire to contribute to bring about positive changes in a society he or she lives in. A sense of humanity and universal fraternity instead of petty self-interest can be a noticeable phenomenon in the attitudinal traits of a truly educated person.
In a trouble-torn, crime-ridden and violence-battered society the presence of magnanimous, philanthropic and self-effacing individuals is greatly felt. Aside from possessing these qualities, a truly educated person is endowed with an acute sense of patriotism and unwavering conviction to uphold the cause of humanity. He/she attaches priority to the well-being of his/her fellow human beings and dreams of establishing a society free from oppression, usurpation and petty self-interest. Being imbued with humanitarian zeal, such an individual stands upright to make sacrifice of any sort.
Educated persons possess a cultivated mind by which they are capable of comprehending the rights and privileges of others and they dream of a society based on sound footing. Proneness to misdemeanour and criminal tendency may be restrained by exercising patience and tolerance, and it can be unequivocally proclaimed that an educated person imbued with self-effacing mentality is capable of performing noble deeds for the greater welfare of humanity.
Materialistic speculation and lust for gaining worldly attainments sometimes mar the inner potentials of an individual. It deserves mention here that a person may make endeavour to attain materialistic prosperity side by side with spiritual development. But while concentrating attention on materialistic or temporal affairs it is to be borne in mind that we should always be imbued with a sense of integrity, humanity and fellow feeling. Through relentless and tireless endeavour an individual may proceed at a meteoric speed for his or her betterment as well as that of the society. Gross violation of human rights, infringement on the rights of others, lack of even-handed justice and lack of equitable distribution of wealth mar the very purpose of establishing an exploitation free societal structure. Admittedly, education and humanity go hand in hand. While imparting lesson in the tender and susceptible minds, result-oriented, pragmatic and utilitarian method is to be applied. Learners are to be imbued with the sense that they will have to remain firmly committed to place the interest of others above their petty self-interest.
In the prevalent society various types of ills of the society and malpractices have become a recurrent and perpetual phenomenon in a multitude of self-centred and avaricious persons who eat into the immense potential of our becoming a prosperous nation. By streamlining the prevalent mode of teaching and its modus operandi students can be motivated to build up their moral character so that they are capable of maintaining rigid ethical standards and remain untouched by corruption, anomalies and irregularities of any sort.
There are people who advocate the necessity of self-teaching and instances are not few and far between that numerous self-taught persons who have been capable of going by moral principles by restraining themselves from wrong-doings and evil practices. On the contrary it has also been noticed that numerous people have failed to boost up their morale after having received higher degrees from academic institutions. They have resorted to corruption, bribery, conspiracy and various other offences. But education can, in no way, be held responsible behind their going astray and the necessity of education will have to be evaluated from a broader perspective.
It is our whole-hearted desire that the entire nation will be equipped with proper education having been imbued with humanitarian zeal with a view to eliminating malpractices, human rights abuses, corruption etc., and we look forward to establishing a progressive, enlightened as well as a knowledge-based society.
Kazi Enamul Haque is Assistant Professor, Department of English, Government Rajendra College, Faridpur
IT is of greater significance to note that education's goal should be to enlighten an individual. It can play a pivotal role in sharpening the intellect and refining the sensibility. Generally we can notice two contrasting behavioral patterns in an individual, one rational and another irrational. Environmental factors in developing one's mental, emotional and psychological health bear special significance. Having been confronted with numerous odds and adverse circumstances, optimum utilisation of one's hidden potentials are greatly obstructed.
Education is universally recognised as one of the fundamental human requirements which serve the purpose of an individual's overall uplift so as to become enlightened and cultivated.
An individual equipped with proper education develops a sense of proportion within himself or herself and is never obsessed with parochialism as well as narrow self-interest. He/she nurtures the desire to contribute to bring about positive changes in a society he or she lives in. A sense of humanity and universal fraternity instead of petty self-interest can be a noticeable phenomenon in the attitudinal traits of a truly educated person.
In a trouble-torn, crime-ridden and violence-battered society the presence of magnanimous, philanthropic and self-effacing individuals is greatly felt. Aside from possessing these qualities, a truly educated person is endowed with an acute sense of patriotism and unwavering conviction to uphold the cause of humanity. He/she attaches priority to the well-being of his/her fellow human beings and dreams of establishing a society free from oppression, usurpation and petty self-interest. Being imbued with humanitarian zeal, such an individual stands upright to make sacrifice of any sort.
Educated persons possess a cultivated mind by which they are capable of comprehending the rights and privileges of others and they dream of a society based on sound footing. Proneness to misdemeanour and criminal tendency may be restrained by exercising patience and tolerance, and it can be unequivocally proclaimed that an educated person imbued with self-effacing mentality is capable of performing noble deeds for the greater welfare of humanity.
Materialistic speculation and lust for gaining worldly attainments sometimes mar the inner potentials of an individual. It deserves mention here that a person may make endeavour to attain materialistic prosperity side by side with spiritual development. But while concentrating attention on materialistic or temporal affairs it is to be borne in mind that we should always be imbued with a sense of integrity, humanity and fellow feeling. Through relentless and tireless endeavour an individual may proceed at a meteoric speed for his or her betterment as well as that of the society. Gross violation of human rights, infringement on the rights of others, lack of even-handed justice and lack of equitable distribution of wealth mar the very purpose of establishing an exploitation free societal structure. Admittedly, education and humanity go hand in hand. While imparting lesson in the tender and susceptible minds, result-oriented, pragmatic and utilitarian method is to be applied. Learners are to be imbued with the sense that they will have to remain firmly committed to place the interest of others above their petty self-interest.
In the prevalent society various types of ills of the society and malpractices have become a recurrent and perpetual phenomenon in a multitude of self-centred and avaricious persons who eat into the immense potential of our becoming a prosperous nation. By streamlining the prevalent mode of teaching and its modus operandi students can be motivated to build up their moral character so that they are capable of maintaining rigid ethical standards and remain untouched by corruption, anomalies and irregularities of any sort.
There are people who advocate the necessity of self-teaching and instances are not few and far between that numerous self-taught persons who have been capable of going by moral principles by restraining themselves from wrong-doings and evil practices. On the contrary it has also been noticed that numerous people have failed to boost up their morale after having received higher degrees from academic institutions. They have resorted to corruption, bribery, conspiracy and various other offences. But education can, in no way, be held responsible behind their going astray and the necessity of education will have to be evaluated from a broader perspective.
It is our whole-hearted desire that the entire nation will be equipped with proper education having been imbued with humanitarian zeal with a view to eliminating malpractices, human rights abuses, corruption etc., and we look forward to establishing a progressive, enlightened as well as a knowledge-based society.
Kazi Enamul Haque is Assistant Professor, Department of English, Government Rajendra College, Faridpur