Education Systems and Human Values

Years of involvement with education systems, including starting an overseas school, have at times made me wonder if the education system covers all aspects of our children’s lives.

This quotation has helped me to see the young ones in this light:

“Regard man as a mine rich in gems of inestimable value. Education can, alone, cause it to reveal its treasures, and enable mankind to benefit therefrom.” ~Baha’u’llah

Baha’is believe that education is about discovering the hidden talents and potential in children and youth, encouraging and guiding them to think independently and investigate the truth for themselves. The educators’ role is to provide them with the tools they need to choose the right path. In other words, education is all-encompassing, meaning to awaken students to their full potential, enabling them to take charge of their lives.

In the old times, education was much simpler; children were sent to a master to learn. They were taught moral and spiritual values, what it means to be a human being, and then the arts and sciences. Human and spiritual values were considered the foundation for building a life.

In many systems, education no longer satisfies both our material and spiritual natures. At some point, it seemed necessary to avoid the question of religion in schools that emphasized differences and at times isolated certain students. Therefore, instead of replacing specific religious instruction with moral and spiritual education of a general nature, educational institutions tended to put more emphasis on academic success rather than virtues and morality. Now education systems are geared towards teaching skills that enable students to succeed in the material world, with little to no effort being made to encourage the goal of becoming a better human being.

When children begin to attend formal school, the focus becomes academic success. It is time to read, to write and to do arithmetic. It is even the primary concern for most parents when setting goals for their children’s success. The concept of planning for a balance between economic and moral life has lost favour. The need for and importance of material success by parents and educators is quite understandable, but the question is, at what cost?

In our materially centred way of living, our goals have shifted from developing human and spiritual potential to creating individuals skilled in navigating the competitive job market and securing jobs with high salaries and good benefits.

I must admit that there is nothing wrong with being financially successful: having a profession, degrees, skills, and wealth, if we remember that our degrees, work, and wealth do not define who we are.

I have to bow in acknowledgement to the dedication, sacrifice and perseverance of all teachers and educators who dedicate their lives to instilling human values in their students. Their efforts, to my delight, have led to an increase in awareness of the need for change among educators, and some educational and religious institutions have made efforts to incorporate morality and spirituality into their curricula. This change in attitude, hopefully, will result in a new generation who are successful in their spiritual as well as material goals, which will lead to a bright and enlightened future for the whole of humanity.

Imagine a future where we recognize the hidden gifts from the Creator in every child, and education systems work to develop these gifts, enabling them to progress in acquiring both human and spiritual values, as well as material ones. In that case, we have taken a step in creating the foundation for a prosperous society, both materially and spiritually.