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| PM Kamla with the children |
Today’s launch of the Character Education and Citizenry Development programme is the fulfilment of a dream I shared since I was Minister of Education. Little did I know then, that one day, many years later, I would stand before you as Prime Minister, seeing it all become a reality.
There can be no greater education of a child than one that teaches the right way to live. The Indira Gandhi quotation which I see used today in the launch is so apt “Education isn’t just about learning something more but becoming someone better.” That is the very essence of character education. It is indeed the purpose of life itself.
“When we think about the kind of character we want for our children, it’s clear that we want them to be able to judge what is right, care deeply about what is right, and then do what they believe to be right – even in the face of pressure from without and temptation from within.”
The profound words of Dr Thomas Lickona in his landmark book, Educating for Character. That powerful statement holds out the promise and intent of what we introduce today.
Children want this level of exploration. They can explore moral and ethical questions in so many traditional subjects. As has been theorised, students of history can be given an opportunity to learn not only of past important events but to make ethical judgements about what happened.
One can find character education considerations even in science where students can discuss the moral and ethical consideration of stem cell research or biological warfare. The point is that character education is about life, the choices we make, the way we choose to live.
Character Education teaches children, from a young age, the value of ethics and morals in forming impressions and perceptions of their environment, and in deciding how to react and face interactions with their families, their neighbours, their teachers and their friends.
Character Education will instill in children the moral footing which will guide how they engage in competitive exchanges with their friends; in how they pursue their academic ambitions, and in how they structure their lives so that they can make informed choices about the career paths they will chose.
In uncomplicated terms, Character Education will foster a young citizen who can make good choices, based on his or her own sense and strength of character.
The value of Character Education has been recognized for centuries, going as far back as the Roman Philosopher, Marcus Tullius Cicero, who once remarked: “Within the character of the citizen lies the welfare of the nation.”
In Trinidad and Tobago, over the past decade in particular, we have seen an enormous shift in the relationships among our children at school. Unfortunately, quite a lot of it has been a negative shift.
School violence has increased. Bullying has now come to the fore with parents and children alike taking a strong stand against it. Violence in families has been the cause of some of our nation’s most haunting tragedies in more recent years. And for some, a turn towards violence and crime has been the only way to find a sense of self-worth and acceptance.
In an age where technology has become deeply woven into our daily lives, I have also noted the increase around the world in the incidence of cyber-bullying. This in itself is a demonstration of how young people, without a firm grounding in values, respect and appreciation of their own self-worth, as well as the self-worth of others, can actually cause mental and emotional harm to each other.
You will know that my Government has taken the policy decision that each form 1 student will be issued a laptop computer in order to bring them fully into the technology age. It is therefore the responsibility of Government to ensure that technology becomes one of the elements employed in the teaching of Character Education.
Ladies and gentlemen, these very serious problems are not born out of a moment! They are born out of a regressive process where children, adults and people in general feel more and more disconnected from their families and communities. They are born out of a period of time where people feel that the chance for them to succeed and progress is either taken from them, or was never given at all.
But while one might be saddened by the view taken by those who have chosen a violent way to achieve recognition, one must also recognise that the opportunity to frame the way in which these people saw the world was lost long before their lives changed for the worst.
If we were to look at bullying in schools, violence and even gang warfare we must consider how the young perpetrators of acts of intimidation and violence might have viewed life, and the opportunities they could have instead worked towards if they saw things differently.
What if they were taken in and taught, from a young age, the value of hard work, of ethics, of respect and of building on their talents?
In addition to being taught those values, and shown the real life examples of how it works in practice, what if their talents could have been discovered and they could have been supported into becoming the best at what they were good at?
Only last week I read an article from the Trinidad and Tobago Chamber on the link between Education and Crime in which it states prophetically: “The education system for all levels of schooling must also include holistic, all-round development for pupils – particularly the inclusion of “citizenship education” and “character values” in order to prepare pupils for participation in social life.
Pupils must be taught values and the importance of upholding those morals and values acceptable to society, as well as the serious consequences of disregarding those values.” End of quote.
The Chamber of Commerce article goes on to make the point that without this paradigm shift the levels of crime will increase. The government agrees wholeheartedly and that is the reason why the initiative we introduce today is of such great significance for our nation.
Research done on the outcome of Character Education reveals some encouraging results. In a range of areas, positive outcomes were shown in categories defined as behaviour, emotional competency, personal morality, sexual behaviour and drug use among many others.
That’s why I particularly like the definition which I read in the ad that the Ministry of Education and Sash Consulting ran on the Character Education and Citizenry Development initiative which states the goal as that of “raising emotionally balanced, socially compassionate and caring individuals with a solid value system.”
Think of it. What is the purpose of having a child who is excelling academically but who is dishonest, uncaring or somehow dysfunctional? By what measurement is that child “succeeding?”
I heard the Minister of Education, Dr Gopeesingh report that when public and parochial schools emphasize character education, their graduation rate is 98 percent compared to the usual 50 percent seen in most public schools. So even academically students benefit as well from this all round education strategy.
As Minister of Education in the 1995-2001 Government, I recall one of my initiatives was the removal of corporal punishment and while, I do not doubt, many young students were overjoyed; there were parents who had reservations.
I’ll tell you why I did that and why, today, I stand by what I did. My intention was transform the manner in which we administered education.
The administration of education and the learning environment should never be something that causes intimidation in the minds of young children. It must be something that motivates the child to want to come to school, to want to learn, to want to put his hand up to answer questions even if he gets it wrong.
For this reason, the removal of corporal punishment was meant to represent the first phase of a process of transformation. I wanted children to know that no one was going to beat them to learn.
The next step of that transformation process, however, was unfortunately never taken forward by the administrations that followed. Having removed the proverbial ‘big stick’, the next intervention was for the introduction of character education...teaching life coping skills, guiding children through what is right and wrong, instilling strong, timeless values such as respect, honesty, compassion, justice. Nurturing a child to become that better person.
What better qualification can there be than living a purpose filled life? What better pursuit can one have than to understand life itself? That is what the Character Education and Citizenry Development programme is all about.
While much of the school bullying and school violence which we have seen in the past years could well have been prevented if character education were brought much earlier, we must seek to make up for lost time and ensure it is fully implemented and guided…which brings us to today’s event.
The programme of Character Education being launched today will be phased in with a format that is conducive to a change environment, one that recognizes the need to foster new relationships between Teachers and Children as well as Teachers and Parents.
As the Minister of Education has identified the Character Education and Citizenry initiative begins its first broadcast tomorrow at prime time ensuring that the entire nation gains exposure to these life changing strategies.
The Chamber of Commerce article goes on to make the point that without this paradigm shift the levels of crime will increase. The government agrees wholeheartedly and that is the reason why the initiative we introduce today is of such great significance for our nation.
Research done on the outcome of Character Education reveals some encouraging results. In a range of areas, positive outcomes were shown in categories defined as behaviour, emotional competency, personal morality, sexual behaviour and drug use among many others.
That’s why I particularly like the definition which I read in the ad that the Ministry of Education and Sash Consulting ran on the Character Education and Citizenry Development initiative which states the goal as that of “raising emotionally balanced, socially compassionate and caring individuals with a solid value system.”
Think of it. What is the purpose of having a child who is excelling academically but who is dishonest, uncaring or somehow dysfunctional? By what measurement is that child “succeeding?”
I heard the Minister of Education, Dr Gopeesingh report that when public and parochial schools emphasize character education, their graduation rate is 98 percent compared to the usual 50 percent seen in most public schools. So even academically students benefit as well from this all round education strategy.
As Minister of Education in the 1995-2001 Government, I recall one of my initiatives was the removal of corporal punishment and while, I do not doubt, many young students were overjoyed; there were parents who had reservations.
I’ll tell you why I did that and why, today, I stand by what I did. My intention was transform the manner in which we administered education.
The administration of education and the learning environment should never be something that causes intimidation in the minds of young children. It must be something that motivates the child to want to come to school, to want to learn, to want to put his hand up to answer questions even if he gets it wrong.
For this reason, the removal of corporal punishment was meant to represent the first phase of a process of transformation. I wanted children to know that no one was going to beat them to learn.
The next step of that transformation process, however, was unfortunately never taken forward by the administrations that followed. Having removed the proverbial ‘big stick’, the next intervention was for the introduction of character education...teaching life coping skills, guiding children through what is right and wrong, instilling strong, timeless values such as respect, honesty, compassion, justice. Nurturing a child to become that better person.
What better qualification can there be than living a purpose filled life? What better pursuit can one have than to understand life itself? That is what the Character Education and Citizenry Development programme is all about.
While much of the school bullying and school violence which we have seen in the past years could well have been prevented if character education were brought much earlier, we must seek to make up for lost time and ensure it is fully implemented and guided…which brings us to today’s event.
The programme of Character Education being launched today will be phased in with a format that is conducive to a change environment, one that recognizes the need to foster new relationships between Teachers and Children as well as Teachers and Parents.
As the Minister of Education has identified the Character Education and Citizenry initiative begins its first broadcast tomorrow at prime time ensuring that the entire nation gains exposure to these life changing strategies.
By September when the programme rolls out into the schools as well we would have taken a huge step forward in developing moral and ethical standards that will mould what kind of adults our children become. Children will have a moral compass to guide them from antisocial behavior to prosocial behavior.
The benefits of this integration will be almost immediate as children grow in confidence, learn to make better choices and develop a better understanding of themselves and the world around them.
I encourage local writers of children’s stories to become part of this process. Write engaging stories that portray strong values and teach valuable life lessons. There are programmes such as Sesame Street which remain relevant today and can be emulated by local productions in the way they entertain and teach children character development and critical thinking.
We must also take practical approaches to building character as well. Involve our children in volunteering. Helping others will give them a sense of responsibility, compassion and respect. It is something the entire nation embraces not just our schools. It is a shared duty that embraces us all, the government, the faith community, the business community and the media.
Parents shoulder a huge responsibility. It is said that “the family is the first school of virtue.” It is the place where our children will learn about love, respect, compassion, honesty. It is “the family that will create the moral foundation upon which all other social institutions are built.”
Trinidad and Tobago will be the first in the region to integrate Character Education into the school curriculum but it certainly isn’t the first in the world. Many developed countries that enjoy high educational standards such as China, Singapore and certain parts of the United States have seen the value of making character education an essential part of teaching in accordance with the goals of making children not just brighter but better.
As we approach a new dawn in our nation’s education system, I want to once again point you to the connectivity of our policy implementation and the manner in which we have approached reforms.
Today, with the programme we launch in Character Education, we are preparing tomorrow’s leaders for the new economy that today’s people will re-build.
Our intention, through government’s development strategy, is to create a social and economic transformation that is people centred and value driven. So that when the time comes, the inheritance we leave behind will be a proud one and those that we bequeath it to will be better prepared than we were. In that sense, the future has just begun.
The benefits of this integration will be almost immediate as children grow in confidence, learn to make better choices and develop a better understanding of themselves and the world around them.
I encourage local writers of children’s stories to become part of this process. Write engaging stories that portray strong values and teach valuable life lessons. There are programmes such as Sesame Street which remain relevant today and can be emulated by local productions in the way they entertain and teach children character development and critical thinking.
We must also take practical approaches to building character as well. Involve our children in volunteering. Helping others will give them a sense of responsibility, compassion and respect. It is something the entire nation embraces not just our schools. It is a shared duty that embraces us all, the government, the faith community, the business community and the media.
Parents shoulder a huge responsibility. It is said that “the family is the first school of virtue.” It is the place where our children will learn about love, respect, compassion, honesty. It is “the family that will create the moral foundation upon which all other social institutions are built.”
Trinidad and Tobago will be the first in the region to integrate Character Education into the school curriculum but it certainly isn’t the first in the world. Many developed countries that enjoy high educational standards such as China, Singapore and certain parts of the United States have seen the value of making character education an essential part of teaching in accordance with the goals of making children not just brighter but better.
As we approach a new dawn in our nation’s education system, I want to once again point you to the connectivity of our policy implementation and the manner in which we have approached reforms.
Today, with the programme we launch in Character Education, we are preparing tomorrow’s leaders for the new economy that today’s people will re-build.
Our intention, through government’s development strategy, is to create a social and economic transformation that is people centred and value driven. So that when the time comes, the inheritance we leave behind will be a proud one and those that we bequeath it to will be better prepared than we were. In that sense, the future has just begun.
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