Moral character education

WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE CHILD’S MORAL CHARACTER EDUCATION?

By: Badeni from University of Bengkulu

As presenter in International Teacher Education Conference, July 2013

at University of Lampung, Sumatera – Indonesia

Moral education generally has been regarded as an integral part of institutions such as the family, the religious bodies and the school. However, in recent times the influence of these institutions on moral development has diminished greatly, and the moral confusion being reflected in these situations is obvious to any critical observer. In the following part of this writing, I will give reasons and evidence to clarify this claim.

First, along with developing society, some of the features characteristic of many families today that have contributed to the diminishing influence of moral education. Not only is the father absent from the family a great part of the day, but the mother (in many cases) works outside the home in situations that do not permit her to be home when the children return from school. This decreases the amount of time and contact parents have with their children; thus, the opportunity to influence the moral thinking of children is greatly reduced. Further, many families are broken, i.e., one of the parents is dead, or the parents are separated or divorced. Hence, the family’s influence on moral development is diminished further. Even when families are united, moral confusion exists since different family members hold to conflicting moral values and are not united on traditional value ideals.

Second, the religious bodies (such as Islamic, Christian, Hindu, Buddha etc.) manifest features that tend to point to its decline in influence and its relationship to moral confusion. The lack of religious body attendance and respect for the authority of the religious body indicate the declining influence of the religious body on the world today. Further, moral confusion is apparent when the traditional, fixed moral doctrines upheld by the religious body have given way, in many instances, to the view of further some religious bodies leaders that, each person is autonomous and therefore must make up his (or her) own mind concerning moral values.

Third, some brief comments concerning the relationship of the school and moral development should be noted. Since the time of many of the Greek philosophers, the teacher has recognized the function of the school as a moral educator. Many educational scholars have recognized the school’s role in moral development. Dewey viewed moral education as crucial to the basic purpose of a school. “The child’s moral character must develop in a natural, just, and social atmosphere. The school should provide this environment for its part in the child’s moral development”. This statement reflects the general notion that the school should help to develop students’ morals. However, this function of the school has become a much-debated issue. It generally is held by many who believe, although in many countries are not, such as Indonesia, in separation of religious body and state that it is not the school’s role to function in the development of moral values. These people believe that moral values are matters of private opinion and should not be discussed in the classroom.

Along with the development of the society and concerted review of literature has revealed that moral character education is becoming an increasingly popular topic in the fields of psychology and education. Media reports of increased violent juvenile crime, teen pregnancy, embezzlements, and human rights violation, numerous abuses and suicide have caused many people both within and outside the country to declare a moral character crisis in several countries. Though not all of these social concerns are moral character in nature, and most of them have complex origins. There is a growing trend towards linking the solutions to these and related social problems to the teaching of moral character and social values in both public and private schools. However, considerations of the role of formal education, either preparation, elementary, and secondary schools) can and should play in the moral character development of youths are themselves of the subject of controversy debate. There are quite often that most of them give argument according to their personal views rather than informed opinion. So who are the responsibilities of the child moral character development/education? Related to the question, the purpose of this is to try to give answer “Who is Responsible for the Child’s Moral Character Education?”