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Dear Editor,
I refer to the Opinion, ”Can universities teach students to be good?” (ST, June 28).
The fundamental basis of education is to educate each individual on how to distinguish right from wrong and embrace moral values (such as honesty, respect, integrity & compassion) and ethical living besides imparting knowledge and skills.
University graduates will be potential leaders in many fields, and therefore they should carry greater social responsibilities and exemplify themselves through their daily words and actions.
For example, law graduates are aspiring-to-be lawyers whose basic or main responsibilities are to uphold the law while representing and protecting their entrusted clients’ rights. In this respect, honesty and integrity are imperative to gain/win the trust and respect of an entrusted client and society at large.
In the recent incident of a judge delaying bar admission for 6 law graduates found cheating in law examinations, greatly signifies the utmost importance of moral and ethical practices.
Similarly, in the medical and healthcare profession practitioners should carry equal, important social responsibilities and ethical practices, as many patients are in their hands of care.
In addition, politicians should always bear in mind and place their electorate or people’s interest, safety, and well-being first before self.
Last but not least, any educators in the education profession should carry themselves with high morals and lead by ethical examples so that they can win the respect and trust of their students. Further, school teachers should always inculcate basic morals and ethical practices in their students prior to their graduation.
A recent court case clearly exemplified how important for an educated person to have equipped with moral values: a male school teacher allegedly molested 13 boys over a span of three years between 2015 and 2018 in places including a school “in central Singapore” and a chalet, is a despicable and unfortunate case.
Teo Kueh Liang
The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of The Independent Singapore.