Imparting ethical principles through education
Tuesday, 15 March 2011
and irregularities of any sort, writes Kazi Enamul Haque
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 enlightened with proper education develops a sense of proportion within himself. He is never obsessed with parochialism as well as narrow self-interest. He nurtures the desire to contribute to bring about positive changes in a society he 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 attaches priority to the well-being of his fellow human beings. A properly educated person 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. As such, they are capable of comprehending the rights and privileges of others; they dream of a society based on sound footing. Proneness to misdemeanour and criminal tendency may be restrained by exercising patience and tolerance. It can, thus, 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 potential of an individual. It may be mentioned here that a person may make endeavour to attain materialistic gains, side by side with spiritual development. But while concentrating 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-felling. Gross violation of human rights, infringement on the rights of others, even-handed justice and lack of equitable distribution of wealth defeat 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, it is, therefore, important to apply a result-oriented, pragmatic and utilitarian method. Learners have to be imbued with the sense that they will have to remain firmly committed to placing the interest of others above their petty self-interest. In the prevalent society, various types of societal ills and malpractices have become a recurrent and perpetual phenomenon. This is so because of a strong presence of a multitude of self-centred and avaricious persons who swallow the immense potentials of Bangladesh's 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 free from corruption, anomalies and irregularities of any sort. There are people who advocate the necessity of self-teaching. Instances are also not few and far about self-taught persons being capable of going by moral principles by restraining themselves from wrong-doings and evil practices. On the contrary, numerous people are found to be failing to boost up their morale after having received higher degrees from academic institutions. They resort to corruption, bribery, conspiracy and various other offences. But education can, in no way, be held responsible behind their going astray. Hence, the necessity of education needs to be evaluated from a broader perspective. The entire nation will certainly be better equipped with proper education, having been imbued with humanitarian zeal, to eliminate malpractices, stop human rights abuses, curb corruption and all misdeeds. We have to look forward to establishing a progressive, enlightened as well as a knowledge-based society.
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 enlightened with proper education develops a sense of proportion within himself. He is never obsessed with parochialism as well as narrow self-interest. He nurtures the desire to contribute to bring about positive changes in a society he 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 attaches priority to the well-being of his fellow human beings. A properly educated person 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. As such, they are capable of comprehending the rights and privileges of others; they dream of a society based on sound footing. Proneness to misdemeanour and criminal tendency may be restrained by exercising patience and tolerance. It can, thus, 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 potential of an individual. It may be mentioned here that a person may make endeavour to attain materialistic gains, side by side with spiritual development. But while concentrating 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-felling. Gross violation of human rights, infringement on the rights of others, even-handed justice and lack of equitable distribution of wealth defeat 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, it is, therefore, important to apply a result-oriented, pragmatic and utilitarian method. Learners have to be imbued with the sense that they will have to remain firmly committed to placing the interest of others above their petty self-interest. In the prevalent society, various types of societal ills and malpractices have become a recurrent and perpetual phenomenon. This is so because of a strong presence of a multitude of self-centred and avaricious persons who swallow the immense potentials of Bangladesh's 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 free from corruption, anomalies and irregularities of any sort. There are people who advocate the necessity of self-teaching. Instances are also not few and far about self-taught persons being capable of going by moral principles by restraining themselves from wrong-doings and evil practices. On the contrary, numerous people are found to be failing to boost up their morale after having received higher degrees from academic institutions. They resort to corruption, bribery, conspiracy and various other offences. But education can, in no way, be held responsible behind their going astray. Hence, the necessity of education needs to be evaluated from a broader perspective. The entire nation will certainly be better equipped with proper education, having been imbued with humanitarian zeal, to eliminate malpractices, stop human rights abuses, curb corruption and all misdeeds. We have to look forward to establishing a progressive, enlightened as well as a knowledge-based society.