BY QYSAR UL ISLAM SHAH
It is an old saying that “Alim Khotu chu Adaab,” which actually means values are more important than knowledge. Both terms cannot be ruled out but are indispensable. A child in the early stages taught good manners, right conduct, and behavior will grow up to become an obedient and law-abiding citizen later.
Imparting moral values doesn’t mean teaching about religion, but it means helping the child perceive good from bad. Values help one make good decisions and guide us throughout life. That is why values are held in high esteem. Good values are absolutely more important than education.
Values play an important role in one’s life and help us grow and develop. They also help create the future we want. When one delivers a decision, it is a reflection of our values.
Comparing the present with the past, it is quite evident that in the past, whether in school, college, or family, values were viewed much better than education. Values make us humane, and they are the standards that can help individuals succeed. We have seen people who stand out in a particular way, and the reason behind it is their values. Values inspire how we talk and act.
Values bring meaning into our lives and cannot be separated from education. People with both education and values can have a meaningful existence. Being cultured or civilized are sub-parts of values and can help define our objectives in life.
Value-based education plays a significant role in personality development, helping individuals tackle changing scenarios while dealing with social, moral, and cultural aspects. In traditional days, moral education and values were given due importance, and children in their early stages were taught good manners and imbibed inspirational stories.
At that time, children were taught to be civilized, and setting up the Taleemul Quran in every area acted as fruitful. Being ethical is good, and children learn their basics from these Madrasas on how to deal and behave with elders, as they believe that education without values is meaningless.
The etiquettes and Islamic greetings are examples of the values taught in these Islamic centers. We have been witnessing that nowadays, highly educated individuals are behaving unpleasantly.
This doesn’t mean education seems unable to mend them, but lacking values can do so. If a person is well-equipped with knowledge and devoid of values, they can hardly be considered knowledgeable. We must teach values to our young generation at the childhood stage, as this can have a profound effect on their personality.
From a social perspective, people embedded with moral values are always respected and greeted. Such individuals can also differentiate between right and wrong, and values define a person’s character.
In contemporary times, there is a significant need for value education in the school curriculum as it helps children learn the fundamental values to become good citizens and human beings.
Storytelling in value education can help students learn the attributes of human values. Kindness, compassion, and empathy will surely be incomplete without education.
The need and importance of value education in the present scenario are far more important due to technology and its harmful effects. In our societies, a section of the younger generation is glued to cell phones, browsing reels, videos, documentaries, movies, etc., but devoid of moral values and knowledge on how to behave and act with relatives, elders, and strangers.
A society without the power of moral values cannot progress in any field. It has been observed that in Western countries, moral values are given less importance, as they feel it is easy to have open relations between father and son, mother and daughter.
Islam is the only religion that gives due importance to values over education. Moral values in Islam aim to determine human activity in a Muslim society. They aim to integrate human attributes and activities that prepare the followers of the Lord. Islam describes them and clarifies the path of goodness for them. That is why Islam teaches us “Alim Khotu chu Adaab.” Knowledge is the path, and values are the goal.
Here is a list of some good morals that must be implemented in our daily life to earn the reward of the Almighty in this world and the hereafter:
} Treat others with generosity and sincerity.
} Be helpful and benevolent to others.
} Be patient, come what may.
} Some good moral values are honesty, humility, justice, and patience.
} Speak the truth, come what may.
} Focus on avoiding jealousy, backbiting, and falsehood.
} Respect your elders.
} Love your young ones.
} Fulfill your obligations to yourself and society.
Inculcating moral values among today’s modern children is the need of the hour. Students at present are so engaged in studies and co-curricular activities that moral teaching becomes compulsory, as it gives them the proper shape and direction on how to act or react in difficult situations.
Moral values need to be inculcated in all age groups, especially in children, as their minds are tabula rasa. What we give them or write on it is permanent; they never forget it throughout their entire lives. Moral education lays the foundation of values that help an individual achieve their goals in life. It is an ethical education that helps choose the right path in life.
The need of the hour is to introduce a hidden curriculum that refers to the transmission of norms, values, and beliefs conveyed in the classroom and social environment.
Our society is highly advanced, but if we, the people of society, are not well-mannered, with rapid urbanization and modernization, moral values degrade day by day. We must not act as mute spectators when it comes to the values our future generation is heading towards. We should be vigilant enough to observe the daily actions of our young generation.
Moral values and ethical education have always aimed at promoting students’ overall development. The way we educate our children has a large impact on the future. I strongly believe that people with strong morals and values are the ones who bring about positive change in the world.
Qysar Ul Islam Shah is a teacher by profession, teaching at BHS Diver Lolab. He can be reached at: farhaanqysar@gmail.com
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are the personal opinions of the author.
The facts, analysis, assumptions and perspective appearing in the article do not reflect the views of GK.