Often, the misbehaviors and immoral acts of most students are blamed on poor parenting/upbringing; and the inability of educational institutions, especially teaching staff to teach and influence students with moral values. In as much as it is factual that most of the social vices emanating from most students are a result of failure in parental responsibility on the part of most parents, and the lack of adding and teaching as topic moral values in schools by educational institutions, I have come to another discovery of the fact that not all misbehaviors and immoral acts of students are the fault of parents and educational institutions.
An empirical study of contemporary events and the Bible account of a good and righteous priest/prophet like Samuel who had two sons Joel and Abijah who grew and became corrupt with bribes and perversion of Justice irrespective of what their father taught and showed them about the right way of life, has shown that parents and teachers are not always the cause of their children’s/students’ misbehavior. The fact is that there are children who are opportune to have good homes, (parenting), and good teachers who do their best to teach and influence them with moral values, yet they are bent on choosing crime, immoral, and uncultured ways of life.
This implies that while it is important and commendable for the home (parents), educational institutions (schools via teachers), and the rest agents of socialization to work hand-in-glove to help build the moral values of students, it is more important for the students themselves to learn, accept and work with the provided principles that would help develop their moral values. This is important because any good advice from parents, teachers, etc. to build the moral values of students would be fruitless and useless if students themselves fail to learn, accept, and apply the good advice.
What are Moral Values?
First of all, morals means the ability to conform to a standard of right behavior. Moral values, therefore, mean the principles or standards that guide an individual’s behavior and choices based on what is considered right or wrong. They are shaped by culture, religion, upbringing, and personal experiences, and can include honesty, empathy, loyalty, respect for others, fear of God, love for God and fellow human beings, sanctity, chastity, etc.
In addition to parental responsibilities, teachers, and religious organizations’ efforts to impact students with morals, students, therefore, need to play some of the following roles in the building of their moral values:
I. Apply Self-control in the use of ICT Devices: ICT is good, it is a welcome development that has aided a lot in the advancement of the modern world. It is, however, unfortunate that most students especially, have become lazy, immoral, and unfocused because of the inappropriate use of ICT devices such as computers and smartphones among others. Even when schools like The Dayspring College have prohibited the bringing to, and the usage of phones in schools by students except SS3 who need them for academic research and practices, some students still try to maneuver their ways to smuggle phones into schools to visit more of the inappropriate sites. Both at home and in schools, students, against some parents’ and teachers’ instructions, still visit sites and links that will not add to their academic and moral growth, but would rather destroy their moral and academic lives.
To have their moral values built, students must use ICT devices appropriately by doing with them things that will only add to their moral and academic growth and also place a limit on their usage. Other roles include:
II. Be Disciplined, and Committed to their Studies.
III. Listen to, Accept, and Obey Every Good Advice.
IV. Avoid Bad Influence.
V. Take God Seriously, etc.
Parents must cooperate with educational institutions, especially teachers to continue the effort of building the moral values and quality educational lives of our students. Unexamined life is not worth living (Socrates, 469-398 BC). Finally, I congratulate the outgoing students (SS3), and to those graduating to SS 1, I say “more grace.”
Nwoko Solomon Ikechukwu
(CRS Teacher/SS1 Form Master).
nreadwrite 