THE introduction of the Civics and Citizenship subject had the noble intention of educating our youth about civic-consciousness and our duties as a citizen.
My question is, by studying the subject and getting an A in it, will it make the student a perfect citizen?
Civic-consciousness, in my opinion, cannot be instilled in a classroom setting. It has to have a deep emotional impact to make someone do the right thing.
We are all naturally born with a moral compass to distinguish right from wrong.
When you are about to do something wrong, there is an immediate tingling feeling.
It’s as if your conscience is pricking at you and you make the decision to do the right thing or otherwise. Thus, teaching right from wrong is unnecessary.
Most people are guided and motivated by their principles or religious beliefs to make the right decision. In a world that is slowly losing these principles, where religion is looked down upon, where materialism and consumerism rule supreme, people are fast losing all that makes up humanity.
The culture of Malaysians can be plainly seen in our language. The Malay language is full of nuances that accord respect to the elders. There is no harshness. In fact, people were always soft-spoken and it became part of the culture.
Unfortunately, we see a lot of road rage now. We also see lots of video clips on social media showing the ugly side of Malaysians who swear at and harm others.
What happened to adab and sopan santun?
It is said that children mirror what the adults do. If that is true then I am very afraid for the future of our country.
We may have come a long way as a nation but I am not proud of what we have become. Success is not only about economic growth alone. The happiness of citizens living in this country is equally important.
I believe that in order to improve civic-consciousness among our children, we have to take them out of schools and into the society.
There are many social problems in this country. A nation will not prosper if it does not care for its weak.
Children must be taught to respect and help the very old, the very young and the helpless.
Spending time at old folks’ homes as part of their learning curriculum would give a chance for the young to interact with the old. There are many skills and knowledge that the old can impart to the young while the young can bring joy to the old. It would be a win-win situation.
Allowing children to work with abandoned babies is another avenue for them to learn about being civic-conscious. This would also make them mature faster and be responsible while the extra help would be a boon for the charities concerned.
Children could also be exposed to work at animal shelters to instil in them the importance of protecting all of God’s creations. They would be aware that abandoning a pet has big consequences for the animal.
Exposure to the realities of life is important for children to feel empathy towards other human beings and animals.
Singapore has been named as a country with the smartest students. Although this is a great accolade, we should not forget about the human side of the child.
Malaysia can strive to become the country with the most compassionate students and citizens.
KULSANOFER SYED THAJUDEEN
Petaling Jaya
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