Ethics Before Excellence

Universal ethical values such as compassion, love, fairness, and respect for human rights, which have guided us through the ages, appear to be under threat in today’s ‘advanced’ world. We witness an increase in systemic injustice, violations of human rights, corruption in public offices, corporate scams, cybercrimes, and whatnot — not to mention ruthless anthropogenic activity leading to irreversible damage to the environment. Have we conveniently ignored Aristotelian ‘virtue’ in our rapacious quest for ‘excellence’?

What would we pass on to our posterity? A legacy and a culture nurtured by ethical values? Or self-serving, perfidious formulae to achieve material gains at the cost of human well-being? These are pertinent questions to be addressed — if only we do not want to re-enact Hobbes’s ‘state of nature’ where life was ‘nasty, short, and brutal’.

Here comes the relevance of ethics — the foundation for the existence of any society. How best we can ensure ethical values and practices to address dilemmas in personal, professional, and societal contexts is the challenge today.

A study by Torney-Purta et al. (2001), IEA Civic Education Study, Amsterdam, Netherlands, underscores that new global realities call for a major reconsideration by educators and policymakers of how young people are being prepared to participate in democratic societies in the early 21st century, in order to preserve democratic values and institutions.

Ethical education in India has hardly received the required primacy over academic excellence, for it has always been understood more as a principle than a practical pedagogic pursuit. The NEP 2020 emphasised the importance of fostering ethical values in education, aiming to cultivate well-rounded individuals with strong moral foundations. Though it seeks to integrate ethical values across all levels of education — from curriculum design to teacher training and assessment — there appears to be neither a structured framework nor a detailed roadmap to translate the intent into action.

On the other hand, ethical education in the US and EU is on a much more advanced level, integrated into the basic structure of education at all levels, supported by federal as well as state initiatives. In K-12 schools (School Education), it is imparted through different pedagogic programs. The ‘Character Education’ program promotes the “Six Pillars of Character” — trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring, and citizenship — in assemblies and classroom discussions.

‘Social and Emotional Learning’ (SEL) programs in states like California, Illinois, and New York focus on emotional intelligence and ethical decision-making. ‘Civics and Citizenship Education’ programs in states like Arizona and Florida teach democratic values, justice, and civic responsibility, with courses on subjects like fairness, equity, and the rule of law, and it is compulsory for students to pass the tests. ‘Digital Citizenship’ education programs teach digital ethics, focusing on responsible online behaviour, data privacy, etc.

In the higher education system of the US, standalone dedicated courses are offered not only in STEM streams but also in professional programs like business and law. For instance, a Business Ethics course teaches corporate responsibility and ethical decision-making, whereas a Medical Ethics course focuses on patients’ rights, informed consent, and end-of-life care.

Many centres like the Markkula Centre for Applied Ethics (Santa Clara University) are integrating ethics across different disciplines. Under the ‘Every Student Succeeds Act’ (ESSA), the US Department of Education assists Character Education through grants and programs which encourage SEL and a positive school atmosphere. In California and New Jersey, SEL or civics education is even made mandatory.

Extracurricular and Community-Based Ethical Education is imparted through the engagement of students in community service projects and participation in groups like Model United Nations, Debate Clubs, or Ethics Bowl — to learn empathy, civic responsibility, and discuss global ethical dilemmas. Presently, in view of growing concerns about AI and misinformation, schools in the US have also incorporated AI ethics and media literacy into the curricula.

According to ETHIKA, State of the Art Report, 2015, in six European countries — i.e., Austria, Croatia, Germany, Italy, Slovenia, and Spain — though ethics and values education is not uniform, ethical themes and values such as willingness to help and support others, tolerance, multiculturalism, friendship, etc., were included at the pre-primary and kindergarten levels within different educational approaches and aligned with institutional guidelines. Support is provided to teachers in this regard by both public and private institutions in teaching skills and techniques.

While Germany has a dedicated subject exclusively for ethics and ethical education at the primary and secondary levels, other countries incorporate them as part of broader subjects such as Civic and Social Values, Citizen and Homeland Culture, or Religious Education. Additionally, NGOs and independent institutions provide content or courses dedicated to ethical education, philosophy with children, dialogue, and reflective and critical thinking.

However, both the US and the EU have their own challenges. In the former, decentralised policies, cultural debates, resource disparities, polarisation, and academic pressures seem to impede the desired levels of success; while in the latter, isolationist and racist movements, and cultural, ideological, or religious differences often pose challenges. Nevertheless, ethical education has been institutionalised and integrated into the education system at all levels with active cooperation from all stakeholders.

A recent policy paper on Ethics and Values Education in Schools and Kindergartens — by the European Union, authored by Thomas Pfeil, Harry Underwood, et al. — underscores the need to inherently integrate ethics and values within school and education systems as a unified structure to address unprecedented challenges like migration and refugee crises, youth unemployment, the rise of populism and dominant identities, and digitalisation. The aim should be to stimulate ethical reflection, awareness, responsibility, and compassion in children so that critical thinking and reflection can foster ethical decision-making in contrast to prejudice, discrimination, and unethical attitudes.

According to Steve Johnson, Director of Alternative Education at Santa Clara University, California, character education programs are a giant mutual-improvement process involving students, teachers, administrators, parents, and other stakeholders — and if integrated into the content and processes of instruction, schools can become models of ethical thought and values.

In India, exclusive programs on ethical education hardly exist. Except for some professional courses in higher education, ethical education is not really a part and parcel of the general education system with a dedicated curriculum on ethics. Severe dearth of teachers, the increasing trend of meritocracy, commercialisation of education, and social inequalities are serious issues that make ethical education difficult either to pursue or enforce.

However, the policy decision through the NEP holds promise for the future, provided these issues are addressed earnestly. Although it is difficult to replicate the successful examples from advanced countries, we can still make a difference in our own right. We need adequate financial and institutional support to integrate ethical education into the education system at all stages and ensure an ecosystem with synergy among educational institutions, civil society organisations, and stakeholders.

In a multicultural, pluralistic society like India, adherence to ethical values cutting across social and religious identities is the key to the unity and strength of the nation. Hence, the importance of ethical education.

The writer is a former Additional Chief Secretary of Chhattisgarh. Views expressed are personal