Academic Development vs Character Building
.... the Education Dilemma ...
Benjamin Franklin once said, " Education begins with life. " Yes, from birth to the passing of death, learning never ceases. From the alphabet to the Einstein's theory of relativity, and from building blocks to conversing skills, we are constantly engaged in numerous learning stages. Education indeed has its many facets, but multitudinous as they may be, two general categories will suffice : academic education and character building. Academic education defines itself as the education taught in institutions of learning while character building on the other hand, constitutes self-development and civic-mindedness.
In this time and day, the importance of academic achievements is as vital as water is to life. In order to obtain a good and respectable career, paper qualifications are a necessity and in most cases, the only criteria. People with creditable and excellent paper qualifications are regarded in high esteem by society. The majority of society today judge people not by their self-worth, but by the degrees and diplomas they have to their names. Is this biased judgement justified ? I would think not.
Success in life cannot be measured only by academic prowess. Many a time, people with remarkable paper qualifications hardly consider themselves to be successful. They may stand high in office but never can they muster the respect needed from their employees, and to them, respect is a greater asset to possess than pieces of paper adorning their office walls. For one to be truly successful, it cannot be denied that academic achievements have their role to play but with them must come another factor, that is a strong and exemplary character to compliment and utilize fully one's intellect.
The importance of a good character is highly undermined in today's society but its necessity and significance have not gone forgotten. The Education Ministry, in realization that education must come with character building has introduced the KBSR and KBSM syllabi that inculcate moral values, civic-mindedness and a sense of self-worth together with academic studies. However, it is sad to say that in most schools, the only lesson to teach would be how to get a paper qualification. Teachers and educators will guide and assist you to leave school with the academic capabilities of a scholar but unfortunately, still lacking many equally important lessons on responsibility and maturity.
The paper chase has also contributed much to this lop-sided thinking. Young people have only one goal in their mind - a paper qualification and it is this goal that they strive for. The first few decades of their life would be swirling with theorems and formulas, nouns and tenses, acids and alkaline but never right or wrong. Even parents meddle and encourage in this flaw of society. They inundate their young ones with misguided and asinine 'formula for a better life'. : School = Paper = Career = Money = Happiness. The result ?
A generation of promising people with brains that are incapable of thought beyond the boundaries of the text-book. As Thomas Carlyle puts it, " Clever men are good, but they are not the best. "
Clearly the focus of schools solely on academic development is a hindrance to development. If in the past, one was judged by how high his IQ was, now his EQ must also be taken into consideration. If the IQ determines the level of intellect, EQ determines whether one can work under pressure. It verifies whether one is capable of looking at the 'big picture' and aim for a momentous success, not a series of small ones. EQ or Emotional Quotient determines, in short, one's character. A series of studies has shown that people with high IQ need not necessarily have high EQ and vice versa but most people who are successful in life, be it financially or other wise, have a high EQ.
Academic development is important so that we know how to keep our machinery running and our offices working. However, character building is important because it ensures that our machinery will be running and our offices remain working. If we have a society that adheres strictly to the book, progress would be way beyond reach. Character building moulds people who can make snap decisions, can work beyond references and can mingle well with others. From a more realistic point of view, we need engineers who can think beyond their manuals and doctors who can make critical decisions without being afraid of the new and risky. In short, we need citizen who can look beyond the logical and ponder on the illogical because there are possibilities beyond the obvious.
One of the fundamentals of life as a man is his education for that is what he spends his whole life doing. If we want a developed Malaysia, we need people who are developed, both academically, and emotionally. Schools then play a crucial role in determining this for schools are where one spends the first few important years of one's life. Schools need to cover all aspects of education. Academic development should not be made priority but rather equally important as character building. Emphasis should be directed to co-curricular activities, moral lessons, P.E. sessions and even inter-class discussions for it is such pursuits that mould one's character into an exemplary one. Such activities induce healthy debates, helps polish diplomatic tact, ensure self-discipline and encourage teamwork. Schools must be more than a place to learn only the three R's.
Time would constantly change and we need to change to adapt. If a future promise and hope is what we are seeking, then we must be able to dare to the challenges that face us. We must stare into the face of adversity and not flinch. We mus have the capabilities and knowledge to bring our technology up-to-date. We need the academic know-how and we also need a humane and formidable character within us. This is where schools play their part. Einstein's theory of relativity would never change, it is stagnant in its idea but not in its use. Schools must inculcate ways to build character and not only academic development. As Mahatma Gandhi quoted, "Real education consists in drawing the best of yourself; what better book can there be than the book of humanity ?"
written by Daniel LHS Lower Six Arts 3
Page 189 and 190 76th Edition, the School's Magazine, The Optimist
Malacca High School/Sekolah Tinggi Melaka
Benjamin Franklin once said, " Education begins with life. " Yes, from birth to the passing of death, learning never ceases. From the alphabet to the Einstein's theory of relativity, and from building blocks to conversing skills, we are constantly engaged in numerous learning stages. Education indeed has its many facets, but multitudinous as they may be, two general categories will suffice : academic education and character building. Academic education defines itself as the education taught in institutions of learning while character building on the other hand, constitutes self-development and civic-mindedness.
In this time and day, the importance of academic achievements is as vital as water is to life. In order to obtain a good and respectable career, paper qualifications are a necessity and in most cases, the only criteria. People with creditable and excellent paper qualifications are regarded in high esteem by society. The majority of society today judge people not by their self-worth, but by the degrees and diplomas they have to their names. Is this biased judgement justified ? I would think not.
Success in life cannot be measured only by academic prowess. Many a time, people with remarkable paper qualifications hardly consider themselves to be successful. They may stand high in office but never can they muster the respect needed from their employees, and to them, respect is a greater asset to possess than pieces of paper adorning their office walls. For one to be truly successful, it cannot be denied that academic achievements have their role to play but with them must come another factor, that is a strong and exemplary character to compliment and utilize fully one's intellect.
The importance of a good character is highly undermined in today's society but its necessity and significance have not gone forgotten. The Education Ministry, in realization that education must come with character building has introduced the KBSR and KBSM syllabi that inculcate moral values, civic-mindedness and a sense of self-worth together with academic studies. However, it is sad to say that in most schools, the only lesson to teach would be how to get a paper qualification. Teachers and educators will guide and assist you to leave school with the academic capabilities of a scholar but unfortunately, still lacking many equally important lessons on responsibility and maturity.
The paper chase has also contributed much to this lop-sided thinking. Young people have only one goal in their mind - a paper qualification and it is this goal that they strive for. The first few decades of their life would be swirling with theorems and formulas, nouns and tenses, acids and alkaline but never right or wrong. Even parents meddle and encourage in this flaw of society. They inundate their young ones with misguided and asinine 'formula for a better life'. : School = Paper = Career = Money = Happiness. The result ?
A generation of promising people with brains that are incapable of thought beyond the boundaries of the text-book. As Thomas Carlyle puts it, " Clever men are good, but they are not the best. "
Clearly the focus of schools solely on academic development is a hindrance to development. If in the past, one was judged by how high his IQ was, now his EQ must also be taken into consideration. If the IQ determines the level of intellect, EQ determines whether one can work under pressure. It verifies whether one is capable of looking at the 'big picture' and aim for a momentous success, not a series of small ones. EQ or Emotional Quotient determines, in short, one's character. A series of studies has shown that people with high IQ need not necessarily have high EQ and vice versa but most people who are successful in life, be it financially or other wise, have a high EQ.
Academic development is important so that we know how to keep our machinery running and our offices working. However, character building is important because it ensures that our machinery will be running and our offices remain working. If we have a society that adheres strictly to the book, progress would be way beyond reach. Character building moulds people who can make snap decisions, can work beyond references and can mingle well with others. From a more realistic point of view, we need engineers who can think beyond their manuals and doctors who can make critical decisions without being afraid of the new and risky. In short, we need citizen who can look beyond the logical and ponder on the illogical because there are possibilities beyond the obvious.
One of the fundamentals of life as a man is his education for that is what he spends his whole life doing. If we want a developed Malaysia, we need people who are developed, both academically, and emotionally. Schools then play a crucial role in determining this for schools are where one spends the first few important years of one's life. Schools need to cover all aspects of education. Academic development should not be made priority but rather equally important as character building. Emphasis should be directed to co-curricular activities, moral lessons, P.E. sessions and even inter-class discussions for it is such pursuits that mould one's character into an exemplary one. Such activities induce healthy debates, helps polish diplomatic tact, ensure self-discipline and encourage teamwork. Schools must be more than a place to learn only the three R's.
Time would constantly change and we need to change to adapt. If a future promise and hope is what we are seeking, then we must be able to dare to the challenges that face us. We must stare into the face of adversity and not flinch. We mus have the capabilities and knowledge to bring our technology up-to-date. We need the academic know-how and we also need a humane and formidable character within us. This is where schools play their part. Einstein's theory of relativity would never change, it is stagnant in its idea but not in its use. Schools must inculcate ways to build character and not only academic development. As Mahatma Gandhi quoted, "Real education consists in drawing the best of yourself; what better book can there be than the book of humanity ?"
written by Daniel LHS Lower Six Arts 3
Page 189 and 190 76th Edition, the School's Magazine, The Optimist
Malacca High School/Sekolah Tinggi Melaka
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