Why the need for human values in Education?

Why the need for human values in Education?

The issue of moral values currently occupies center stage and there is widespread concern about the Attitudes, Values and Beliefs of young people.

Various reasons are offered for today’s so-called decline in Moral Standards. 

Many believe that a major way to address this moral dilemma is for children to be taught more effectively the difference between Right and Wrong, especially how to respect other people and their property. Much research shows that education should be Values-Based and should take place in a 

"Cooperative, Loving, Truthful, Respectful and Caring Environment".

Increasingly popular program, which help children to discover, explore and develop lasting values, which can be applied in school, at home and in the wider community, is the "Education in Human Values (EHV)"

It helps students develop a Healthy Lifestyle, Good Relationships, a Caring Attitude, Confidence and Responsibility. The core values of Truth, Love, Peace, Right Action and Non-violence, together with related values, which are essential components of the Education in Human Values.

"Silent Sitting” which may be less familiar, is being increasingly used to good effect in the classroom. This provides an ideal opportunity for children to quieten both their minds and bodies and to be peaceful for a few minutes. It draws out the inner virtues from even the most aggressive children, allowing them to contact their innate wisdom and develop calmness and equilibrium.

Very recent research indicates that the most destructive forces in some classrooms are the noise levels and the amount of movement.

It employs five teaching techniques, each of which aids the development of a particular level of the child’s personality. The techniques are: 

• Silent Sitting, 
• Quotation or Prayer, 
• Group Singing, 
• Storytelling and 
• Group Activities.

SILENT SITTING: Silent Sitting provides an opportunity for the children to sit quietly and let their minds be peaceful for a minute or two, thus allowing them to tune in to their inner resources. The advantages of this are superior concentration, better receptivity and improvement of understanding. At a deeper level, it improves memory and prepares the ground for intuitive awakening; it develops patience and discipline. As the thoughts, desires and emotions are stilled, new vistas of Peace are unearthed. While it improves the quality of work, it directly instills the values of Truth and Peace. It is said that silence is the most effective form of communication for it enables the individual to communicate with his/her own inner self. It is only in moments of silence that one is able to reflect upon one’s conduct and seek scope for improvement. Again, it is only in silence that the intuitive flashes of excellence are seen and experienced. This form of tuning in is the force behind genius and it imparts a new dimension of depth to the human personality. All this tuning in requires is asking the children to sit still in a steady posture and close their eyes. The teacher may ask the children to picture an object e.g. the beauty of a flower or a beautiful scene, or they may be asked to listen to a piece of soothing music.

QUOTATION / PRAYER: The teacher may use either a quotation or prayer in the lesson. The quotation must relate to the value being taught. After the quotation is introduced, the teacher allows for a few minutes of discussion. This encourages the children to express their views on the quotation. Quotations help to develop memory, promote analytical thinking, establish truly human ideals and they enable the children to relate to the highest in themselves. Prayer has a tremendous capacity to maintain the rhythm of the breath. It helps one to remain in tune with and to draw on the energy of Love within. It is a communication technique with Cosmic Energy. It provides a safe outlet for pent-up feelings and frustrations; it aids the development of memory and it confers peace which is a logical outcome of rhythmic breathing.

GROUP SINGING: Singing is a wonderful way in which children and teachers can join together in fun and friendship while learning. Songs express the language of the heart; they remove barriers and promote peace and love. Music and group singing are the most powerful weapons to put the human system in harmony and rhythm. When the children sing together, they also realise the value of co-operation. Singing improves memory, instills peace, love and appreciation and gives a feeling of joy. The songs can be varied in nature. Anything that is learnt through song and music remains much longer in the memory and is easy to recall. The songs go round and round in the mind, reminding the children of their values and actions.

STORY – TELLING: Story-telling may be the most effective of the five techniques. The stories create role-models that the children will want to emulate. Since the dawn of creation, nothing more effective than stories has been thought of when it comes to driving any message home. A story generates interest, captures the attention and leaves a beautiful moral to think about and act upon. Stories bring out the parallel situations of life and suggest solutions; they add colour and variety to the class situation; they widen the imagination and help to sharpen the children’s sensibilities and sensitivities. Stories can be drawn from any source such as history, folk-lore, and mythology or even created afresh. They symbolize the flight of human imagination and plant heroic and adventurous ideals in the minds of children. They have a direct impact on the conduct of children and are consequently extremely useful for cultivating the value of Right Action.

GROUP ACTIVITIES These activities entail participation of all students. They are organized both inside and outside the classroom. They include a wide range of activities that hinge on the lesson. The activities include role-play, mime, drama, creative writing, art, attitude checklist, games and service activities. The basic idea behind these activities is to reinforce, to allow for interplay and interaction so that learning proceeds from all directions. Follow-up and Life Application activities are designed to help the children incorporate the values into their lives, as part of their developing personalities.

They are intended to give children the opportunity to practice the values so that the values cease to be abstractions. It is part of the lesson that is intended to take the values into the children’s home. It is one means of establishing contact with the parents, who, together with the teacher, must mediate between the children and the environment

At what age we should you start the child with the classes?

“A sapling can be helped to grow straight, but once it becomes a tree it cannot be guided in its growth.”

In childhood, you were led astray because you did not know which act was right and which was wrong. There was no one to guide you along the right path. You fell into bad company because no one warned you, or rescued you when you had done so. No one pointed out to you the way to God and goodness. If they had, you would have quickly absorbed the advice, for the minds of children are capable of imbibing the good as well as the bad. No one around you had faith in your innate divinity, or the compassion to save you from evil and guide you into good ways.

Educationists throughout the whole world have been looking for an effective way to inspire and educate the children of this generation in order to reverse the present trend of violence, crime, substance abuse and apathy. In this regard, the EHV program that originated in India decades ago is fast creeping into many countries worldwide to provide a well-balanced curriculum for character development.

The EHV is a multi-cultural, multi-faith self-development program designed for children and young people all over the world. It is a simple educational tool designed to help develop positive values in the young so that children and young adults become fit for life and not just for earning a 'good' living.

That is the reason sooner the better

What is the EHV program?

It is not the purpose of the Program to dictate the actions of the individual, but rather, to offer them a secure base from which they may arrive at their own informed decisions. The Program seeks to draw out the basic human values of right conduct, peace, truth, love and non-violence, which are inherent in the fundamental make up of the human personality. It is these eternal core values which raise man above the level of the animal kingdom and are indeed shared and recognised worldwide. Learning takes place through lesson plans based on practical, meaningful and fun activities using the five components of:

a) Stories – about life, identity & relationships;

b) Quotations, poems and prayers;

c) Songs and music;

d) Silent sitting – exercises leading to inner calm and peace;

e) Activities e.g. drama, discussion, games, role play, community service, etc.

In working through the lessons that comprise these components, the importance of the triple partnership for education becomes apparent: teachers will inspire children in their schools, if they are value conscious adults; parents’ example affects the conduct of their children; and children when reaching a certain age need self-discipline to balance their generally natural exuberance.

Objectives of the EHV Program

The aim of the EHV Program is to bring out the inherent goodness in each child and help to sustain it by regular practice through the difficult period of emotional growth. It is been argued that Emotional Intelligence, or EQ, matters more than the IQ. It is increasingly recognised that some teaching of social and emotional skills should ideally start in pre-school years. The early school years, 5 or 6 to 11 years are most crucial as the emotional growth is intricately linked with other developments, which include cognition and biological maturation. Thus, the child's development in these years will have tremendous influence in later life.

The core value in the EHV Program is LOVE. The development of empathy and love are taught through a set of related values such as: Caring; Friendship; Generosity; Kindness and Sharing. Education must lead to a "broadening of heart". This term encompasses an expansion of love and consciousness and universal compassion. When Love in this broad sense is combined with the capacity of discernment; it is referred to as TRUTH. RELATIVE TRUTH can take many forms, but when it comes from within oneself as the dictate of 'inner self', it becomes the RIGHT CONDUCT. PEACE refers to an awareness of emotions, their acceptance and skilful handling, resulting in calmness and balance. 'Peace within' can come from the practice of Truth, Right Conduct and Love. When all four values are practiced, NON-VIOLENCE or non-violation emerges as the culmination of all values. The EHV is also termed as 3HVs - Head, Heart and Hands. Heart is at the centre of learning as it is taken to be the seat of consciousness.

“The importance of value oriented education and how it works if received in the right way and at the right age.”

The Human Values: Right Conduct, Peace, Truth, Love, Non-Violence

The EHV Program is based upon these Five Human Values which also underpin all the world's major religions. Hence the Program is Multi-Faith, but also Non-Religious, and so has the advantage of being beyond boundaries of race or creed, and can be taught to all.

It may not be possible to make small children understand the essence of EDUCARE. They are too young to understand it. It can be introduced at the college level. However, at school level, we can cultivate good thoughts and good habits among students. We can also inspire their young hearts by narrating the stories of great persons of their respective lands, and exhorting them to follow the ideals set by them. For example, the life of King Harishchandra is a great ideal in adherence to truth for someone from East Indian background.
Mahatma Gandhi is an international figure to inspire. 

This is a very important for us to reform ourselves before we try to reform the students so that they will attract the attention of others with their behaviour. 

If the parents do not know about Sai Baba who is the founder of this program, SSE child will be our spokesperson to influence their parents and bring about a good change in them. But when they see the good behaviour of their children because of the practicing of the principles taught by Sai Baba, Parents will naturally change their minds. Students can also tell their parents that all their good behaviour is because of their joining the Sai Spiritual Education (SSE) classes. This will also attract other children to the SSE.

The above values are specific because they are in line with a human being's make up. They are also heavily interrelated (e.g. right conduct is action with love, and according to conscience) and give rise to many related values under each main heading.

Before we address Educare we must understand the relationship among Religion, Spirituality and Educare according to our founder beloved Sri Sathya Sai Baba.

First and foremost, we have to understand what Religion is - 
'Religion is realisation.' Only when you realise the truth about yourself, you will understand what religion is.

Spirituality is recognizing oneness of all beings. To recognise unity in diversity is spirituality. The questions and doubts arise when you see multiplicity in unity. Religion is realisation of your Self. Spirituality also is discovering who you really are.

The next aspect is Educare. How can we call ourselves educated if we do not understand what educare is? The word 'education ' is derived from the Latin root 'educare'. While education refers to collection of worldly facts, educare is to bring out from within. 'Education' is for 'Jeevana Upadhi' or Livelihood. 'Educare' is for 'Jeevitha Paramaavadhi' or the ultimate goal of life. 

It is easy for us to recognise things outside us and difficult to look within. There are many things inside us, which are not manifest. When you join the three letters G, O, D, we get the word GOD. When you look at the letters individually they have no meaning of their own. Our effort lies in putting together these letters to get the meaning. This is educare. Educare means to bring out from within. The Atma or soul is our innermost reality. That is what educare should bring out. Therefore, there is actually no difference among the three - Religion, Spirituality and Educare.

The regular education enforces its rules, therefore it is 'FORCE', but Sai's method is from the 'SOURCE'. Sri Sathya Sai Education imparts Human Values.  Follow these values, and at the same time pursue regular education. But do not split them into artificial divisions.

Sri Sathya Sai education imparts practical knowledge, while the regular education teaches only bookish knowledge. But do not ignore bookish knowledge also, because the former grants us spiritual happiness and the latter, worldly happiness. Regular education gives us the means of livelihood whereas Sri Sathya Sai education leads us to the ultimate goal of life. The two constitute the two sides of the same coin.

The child must be groomed well right from the beginning itself. Just as speed-breakers control the speed of vehicles on the road to ensure safety, so too restrictions must be enforced upon children's freedom for their safety. The child should be given freedom in areas related to right conduct and must be punished when it errs. When the parents give freedom to their children, they should watch carefully as to how the children behave. It is then that the child will tread the right path. The first responsibility rests with the mother for the child to tread on the right path.

It is in order to ensure that unlimited freedom is not given to children that the institution called school has come into existence. It is here that teachers should strike a balance between freedom and restriction in student's life. The SSE teachers advise the student regularly that his conduct will be responsible for the name he earns for his parents and the school in which he studies.

How do you motivate children in educare program?

How can we attract children of non-devotees to SSE program?

Let us take for example the good practice of the students chanting a prayer ('Brahmarpanam') before partaking of food. Even the parents will be surprised at their devotion. If children explain to the parents the meaning of the prayer saying, "Food is given to us by God. Therefore, we must offer it to Him before partaking of it. Then the food becomes blessed and will not be tainted by impurities." Thus even the parents will learn to pray. This is the way to bring the parents on the right path through their children. Whatever we do, we must do it properly. This is how we train our students so that they will attract others and be an example to them.