{"id":106878,"date":"2020-09-21T17:30:51","date_gmt":"2020-09-22T00:30:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/?p=106878"},"modified":"2020-09-21T17:30:51","modified_gmt":"2020-09-22T00:30:51","slug":"building-a-value-education-structure-based-on-australian-values","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/2020\/09\/21\/building-a-value-education-structure-based-on-australian-values\/","title":{"rendered":"BUILDING A VALUE EDUCATION STRUCTURE BASED ON AUSTRALIAN VALUES"},"content":{"rendered":"

BY EDWARD THEOPHILUS<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n

President\nMr. Gotabaya Rajapaksa concerns education reforms, and I posted several\narticles on this website, regarding the reforming agenda, and my concern was\ndirected to declining values in Sri Lanka\u2019s society.  If value education included the curriculum\nwith primary, secondary, and TVET education that could be used accelerating\neconomic development, and growth, and to create value respected society in the\ncountry. Value education should be practiced from early childhood education to\nuniversity education, and it is a broader practice.  Many problems in Sri Lanka are a result of\nlacking value practice in society. In any society, there may be less than 2% of\npeople who don\u2019t respect values, and it might associate with the Gene of a\nperson.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Value\neducation is a practical aspect of education that direct the development of\npositive attitudes, the education reforms agenda has become a talkative\nstrategy than practical initiatives, and it seems that leaders in reforms are\nretired administrator, who were working in the 19th<\/sup> century. Now the\njob is a way of making money in the retired status than developing essential\npolicy forms in the 20th<\/sup> century.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Early\nin the first decade of the year 2000, after the 9\/11 attack, the Australian\nPrime Minister and the Opposition leader opened a new debate on Australian\nvalues, and the Opposition leader suggested that not only migrants to Australia\nbut also temporary visitors should be required to sign a statement at the time\nof applying for the visa that they will respect Australian values during the\nstay in the country. Some people expressed views that the debate appeared to be\ntargeting migrants from certain countries, but it was a view only not a\ntruth.  Many instances, original cultures,\nand social behavior of some people socked society, and tragedies experienced by\nthe western world since the 9\/11 attack and showed the way to suspect a certain\ntype of religious, social, or cultural behavior of people may be a threat to\nAustralian values.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Easter\nSunday attack in Sri Lanka preceded to suspect activities and behavior of\nMuslims in Sri Lanka as a threat to peace-loving religious communities, and the\nresponse of many Muslims reflected that they were in a double stand or playing\na double game in the society. Previous experience broadcasted that when there\nwere cricket matches between Sri Lanka and Pakistan, although some Muslims who\nwere citizens of Sri Lanka took the side of Pakistan and barracked against Sri\nLanka.  It was not illegal behavior but\nthe majority Sinhala people felt that it was disloyal to the country. When Sri\nLanka lost games with Pakistan Muslims lighted firecrackers and enjoyed. It was\na giving signal that when a tragedy occurred in the country some Muslims\nenjoyed rather than sharing the sorrow of the tragedy with the majority of the\ncommunity. The behavior of some Muslims in Sri Lanka showed they did not\nrespect values, and they are not consistent with even Muslim religious values.  Values are not against religions and they are\nconsistent with all religions, which respect human dignity and equity.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As\ncivilized and educated people we must understand that people are individually\nand collectively different from birth and after death, they will become equal\nas ash or soil, which is the ultimate reality of the matter.  Many behavioral theories that support to\nconfirm the reasons to be at variance with behavior.  Aristotle stated that people are different\nfrom size, shape, colors, and many other things, but people do share something\nuniversal, which is called HUMANESS\u201d, that exists regardless of any human\ndifferences, and this is the reality of a human being.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

People\nare born to deviating cultures and societies, which may not their choice, but\nit believes that it was the fate or the choices of God.\u201d Buddhism and Hinduism\ninterpret this as a result of Karma in a previous life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What\nare values?  There are various\ndefinitions of values. Sometimes, we can see that the term value is used to\nrefer to the inherently good things. For example, trust, fidelity, and love are\ngood in society.  The term value also\nrefers to as conviction, standard, which are used as a guide for behavior or\nmaking judgments about goodness, appropriate or integrity of actions, policies,\nor plans.  Different kinds of values see\nin society and values are not acceptable to other societies.  For example, the values of white society\nduring the apartheid era in South Africa were not acceptable to democratic\nsocieties. One important thing concerning the values is that a person believes,\nrespects, or adhere to think his or her values are superior and others\ninferior.  This is a cause for the\norigination of conflicts in society.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The\nultimate reality of value is congruous although the culture or society may\ndiffer from each other due to climatic or people in various areas of\ncivilization or stages of economic growth stated by Rostow.ww.  It was shown that some Australian politicians\nwere dictating migrants, visitors, and citizens that they must respect\nAustralian values, but no politician explained or initiated to educate\nmigrants, visitors, and others about Australian values, which are not rhetoric,\nshould respect and implement in society. \nThe other important point is politicians attempt to dictate values to\nmigrants and visitors, but not for businessmen and investors.  Why do politicians think that money is more\nimportant than values? They think selling uranium to China or any other country\nwhere they do not respect Australian values to money is ok, whatever happen to\nvalues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Politicians\nin Sri Lanka also behave similar way, for example, the nature of the behavior\nof politicians when destroying forest and trees they were either to looked for\nmeaningless answers or blamed to private landowners thinking the destroying\ngovernment forest is harmful but forest given to private investors by a leasing\nagreement is not harmful to the value of securing the environment.  If money comes to pocket it would not harmful\nwhen the environment is destroyed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

People\nshould be aware of values, otherwise, they cannot obey them.  Without educating them about values mere\nrhetoric appears as the other side of the coin of white Australian policy.  Therefore, understanding Australian values\nwould be supported to easily integrate into Australian society.  In Sri Lanka, there is no value structure to\neducate in schools, TVET institutions, and universities.  Disrespecting values and destroying values\nare obvious day to day experiences among students in Sri Lanka.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Education\nsystems in many countries have integrated value education into the school\ncurriculum. In the USA, Chile, South Africa, Vietnam, Colombia, and the Netherlands,\nvalue education is a specific part of primary and secondary curriculums.  This means school children in those countries\ngain a full understanding of their values in addition to general education in\nschools.  In Sri Lanka, value education\nis not a part of the school curriculum. Religious education has included school\ncurriculums, but it is a deviation of educating students according to\nreligions.  Value education is a common\ncurriculum without religious differences and students in all religions study\ntogether.  In Sri Lanka, there is a value\nsystem called SARADHARMA\u201d, they do not consist of democratic values,\nsometimes, SARADHARMA\u201d demonstrates a strategy to attract respect to clergy\nand elders.  Respect is a value but it\ndoesn\u2019t mean that values limit the practical role to a limited group, it\nexpands to a broader arena including the religion of self and others, etc.             <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The\nNational Framework of Value Education in Australian schools gives two views on\nvalues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  • The principles and\nfundamental convictions, which act as general guides to behavior, and the\nstandards, which particular actions are judged as good or desirable (Halstead\n&Taylor, 2000).<\/li>
  • The deals that give\nsignificance to our lives that are reflected through the priorities that we\nchoose and, that we act consistently\u201d (Hill 2004).<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n

    Sri\nLanka needs to develop a value structure to educate in schools and many\nBuddhist values such as Mercy, Compassion, Pity, Apprehension, and benignant\ncould be included in the value structure. Religious values are similar in all\nreligions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    There\nare nine Australian values in the framework for the school curriculum and they\ncan adapt to value structure in Sri Lanka.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    1. Care and Compassion \u2013\ncaring for self and others Care and compassion are vital values in any society.<\/li>
    2. Do your best \u2013 Seeking to\naccomplish something worthy and admirable, trying hard, and pursuing\nexcellence.<\/li>
    3. Fair Go \u2013 Pursuing and\nprotecting the common good where all people are treated fairly for a just\nsociety.<\/li>
    4. Freedom \u2013 Enjoying all\nthe rights and privileges of Australian citizenship free from unnecessary\ninterference or control and stand for the rights of others. <\/li>
    5. Honesty and\nTrustworthiness \u2013 Being honest, sincere, and seeking the truth.<\/li>
    6. Integrity- Acting by\nprinciples of moral, ethical conduct and ensuring consistency between words and\ndeeds.<\/li>
    7. Respect \u2013 Treating others\nwith consideration and regard, respect another person\u2019s point of view.<\/li>
    8. Responsibility \u2013 Being\naccountable for one\u2019s actions, resolving differences in constructive,\nnon-violent, and peaceful ways, contributing to society, and civic life, and\ntaking care of the environment.<\/li>
    9. Understanding -Tolerance\nand Inclusion \u2013 Being aware of others and their cultures, accepting diversity\nwithin a democratic society, being included, and including others.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

      Australian\nvalues are recognized for education in schools and common to every in the\nsociety.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Sri\nLanka needs a Building a value Education structure to educate commonly\nstudents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      (The\nauthor acknowledges the reference made to the National Framework for Values\nEducation in Australia published by Department of Education, Science, and\nTraining)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      BY EDWARD THEOPHILUS President Mr. Gotabaya Rajapaksa concerns education reforms, and I posted several articles on this website, regarding the reforming agenda, and my concern was directed to declining values in Sri Lanka\u2019s society.  If value education included the curriculum with primary, secondary, and TVET education that could be used accelerating economic development, and growth, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":true,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[124],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-106878","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-edward-theophilus"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/106878","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=106878"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/106878\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=106878"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=106878"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=106878"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}