Earlier, parents, acquaintances, and even the environment were the chief educators of children. The learners acquired the knowledge, ideas and beliefs of their own culture and tradition. Most importantly, they learnt values and that was education for them. The children of those days grew up to be responsible citizens.

Nowadays, the concept of education has become more structured. Education has been divided into different stages like kindergarten, primary, secondary, senior secondary and so on.

The system is focused on tests and examinations. Therefore, educators, as well as students, are in a hurry to complete the syllabus. At the end of the academic session, students are judged on the basis of their retention power and segregated into different grade points or divisions. Due to this system, students have become professionally oriented.

Instead of gaining pleasure from knowledge, showing their capability or focusing on their creativity, they try to live up to the expectations of their parents and teachers. Real education has been lost.

True education should aim at nurturing virtues and values among children. It should help them develop their personality and self-esteem. They should learn to be true to themselves, as well as society. Most students now lack the patience to listen. They also lack the urge for learning. They prefer to cram ready-made notes and excel in their tests.

Reading habits should be inculcated among students as education should be continually renewed. More emphasis should be put on value-based questions so that students not only learn the facts given in their textbooks, but think about different subjects in their curriculum.

Thus, value-based education is important to extract the potential of the students, inculcate in them positive human values such as respect, tolerance and peace, and equip them with social skills, intelligence and attitude to succeed academically and also in their lives.

  children, education, values