Q1) Discuss the role of ethics in education and the role of educational institutions in imparting value based education.

(250 Words/15 Marks)

Ans.

Education is an effective tool for all round development of an individual. Inclusion of ethics in the educational process makes learning more wholesome and enriching. The important role of ethics in the education can be seen from the following:

1. Application of knowledge: Ethics in education is important to ensure virtuous application of one’s knowledge.

E.g., ethics may motivate law graduates to do free legal counselling for poor undertrials.

2. Society over self: Ethics in education will enable an individual to value the larger social good over his/her narrow/illicit personal gains.

E.g., ethics will restrain a business professional from indulging in corrupt practices.

3. Means over end: Ethics in education will exhort individuals towards respecting the purity of means over the attraction of ends.

E.g., ethics will aid a student in refraining from cheating; will deter people from acquiring college degrees through fraudulent means.

4. Ethics in education can lead to development of a well-rounded personality of an individual.

5. Sensitivity: Ethical values can make learners sensitive towards prevailing social ills, thereby motivating them to challenge the unjust order.

E.g., students protesting to preserve the Aravallis.

6. Humility: Ethics in education will aid the students in embracing humility as a virtue and to shun vanity and arrogance.

While ethics in education make the learning process broad-based, educational institutions contribute towards imparting value-based education in the following ways:

1. Ethics imparted through curriculum: Besides scientific temper, the curriculum is so designed so as to impart ethical values.

E.g., teachings from Hitopadesh, preamble of the Indian constitution, jataka stories etc., imbibe moral/ethical values like pluralism and tolerance.

2. Observation: At educational institutions students closely observe the behaviour of fellow students, teachers etc., and they emulate good behaviour in order to gain good values.

E.g., learning punctuality from teachers.

3. Community work: Community work imparts the essential ethical traits like teamwork, empathy, care, unity etc., in children.

E.g., Socially Useful Productive Work (SUPW) in educational curriculum.

4. Discipline: Educational institutions play an important part in teaching the students about the virtues of discipline.

E.g., reaching school on time, completing classwork and homework in the stipulated time etc.

5. Dialectics: Debates and discussion not only broaden the horizons of children’s thought process, but also ensure learning of ethical principles through inter-active means.

6. Teaching tools: Audio-visual techniques, use of case studies, project work etc., ensure effectiveness of ethical learnings.

E.g., case studies about social leaders like Mother Teresa.

Education institutions play a significant role in imparting ethical values in an individual aiding them in their future personal as well as professional endeavours. However, education devoid of ethics may lead to a lapse in the important function of character building