Building character in the classroom

The Straits Times


www.straitstimes.com

Published on Sep 26, 2011




Editorial



LAST week, Education Minister Heng Swee Keat announced the introduction of a new Character and Citizenship Education (CCE) curriculum which will promote a 'student-centric, values-driven education'. He cited an ageing population, more educated parents and the breakdown of traditional social structures as factors which call for the country's young to have a solid foundation in values and what it means to be a Singaporean. While Civics and Moral Education classes exist currently, the CCE will pull together the disparate modules under one dedicated unit in the Education Ministry.

This move certainly marks a change for Singapore's education system, which has always tended to emphasise quantifiables over qualitative factors. Grades, ranking and streaming have dominated the landscape for a long time. Certainly, they have gone a long way towards making Singapore's education system one of the best in the world - so much so that many have taken them for granted.

By default, the remarkable financial progress that Singapore has seen in the last few decades has also contributed to an unhealthy focus on materialism. Many have lamented the lack of compassion and of public spiritedness, and the unhealthy focus on individual success. What Mr Heng is calling for in the school curriculum therefore, is a nationwide reminder of the basic principles which have made this small nation great.

Ironically, Singapore's success and increased affluence have also led to a generation of coddled children who may not have had to learn the hard lessons of struggle. Indulgent parents who constantly shield their children from suffering or criticism inadvertently prevent them from developing emotional strength and character.

It is oft said that values are caught, not taught. Teaching true grit, therefore, will be much harder than improving academic excellence. It calls for a revolutionary approach and visionary educators who must be given some flexibility to implement their ideas. They might find some worthwhile lessons in the experiments of David Levin, the superintendent of the KIPP schools in New York City, who successfully implemented a values programme and grading system in his schools, which were documented in a recent New York Times article by Paul Tough called What If The Secret To Success Is Failure?

The title of the article says it all. Recalibrating the education system towards values requires a leap of faith and a willingness to fail. It remains to be seen if Singapore can rise up to this challenge.

Copyright © 2011 Singapore Press Holdings. All rights reserved.