Transcript Singapore Management University’s Distinguished Education Lecture March 2015 Education for Citizenship Professor Lord Alton of Liverpool www.davidalton.net.

Singapore Management University’s
Distinguished Education Lecture
March 2015
Education for Citizenship
Professor Lord Alton of Liverpool
www.davidalton.net
How can you expect
the birds to sing when
their groves are cut
down - Thoreau
Singapore is renowned for its meritocracy – but meritocracies
must always guard against leaders becoming a detached elite.
Civic education is about a preparation for life,
not just for work.
Sir William Curtis, at the end of the
eighteenth century, used the phrase “the
three Rs” – reading, writing and arithmetic
Augustine’s “Confessions” noted that
For those first lessons, reading, writing and
arithmetic, I thought as great a burden and
penalty as any Greek.
Charles Dickens: Hard Times
“Now, what I want is Facts. Teach these
boys and girls nothing but Facts. Facts
alone are wanted in life. Plant nothing
else, and root out everything else. You
can only form the minds of reasoning
animals upon Facts; nothing else will
ever be of any service to them.”
Gradgrind creates a world devoid of humanity,
compassion, or gentle intellectual inquiry and fails
both as a teacher and as a father - seeing his own
son becoming a thief.
Confucius: “The Great Learning”:
“The way of great learning consists in manifesting
one’s bright virtue, consists in loving the people,
consists in stopping in perfect goodness.”
John Henry Newman’s university would be: “… a seat of
wisdom, a light of the world, a minister of the faith, an
alma mater of the rising generation. It is this and a
great deal more.” Newman listed the intellectual virtues
as “good sense, sobriety of thought, reasonableness,
candour, self-command and steadfastness of view.”
Education for citizenship would enable young
people, in particular, to reach beyond
academic attainment alone - to think,
enquire, debate and understand how
decisions will affect their lives and the future
of their nation and the world.
In making “make men without chests”, educators have
become the “conditioners”.
“The task of modern education is not to cut down jungles
but to irrigate deserts. The right defence against false
sentiments is to inculcate just sentiments. By starving the
sensibility of our pupils we only make them easier prey to
the propagandist when he comes.”
Matthew Arnold
"The aim and office of instruction… is to enable a man to know himself and the
world… To know himself, a man must know the capabilities and performances of the
human spirit… [which is] the value of the humanities… but it is also a vital and
formative knowledge to know the world, the laws which govern nature, and man as a
part of nature."
“Education is the most powerful weapon
which you can use to change the world”.
Boko Haram
if you want to plant for one season, you
should plant a seed; if you want to plant for
ten years, you should plant a tree; but if you
want to plant for life, you should give a
young man or woman an education.
An alternative three Rs:
Respect, Rights and Responsibilities.
“The most important thing is that you have
to respect an individual, whether he’s got
six Cs or six As and whether he’s a brain
surgeon or a dustman. I think we should
give him the same respect. If you don’t give
respect to your own citizens, I think you
condemn them forever.” Chiam See Tong
In 1644 John Milton, in the
Areopagitica wrote: “Give me the
liberty to know, to utter, and to
argue freely according to
conscience.” But free speech also
requires respect.
All freedoms must be tempered by mutual respect – which is why the ridiculing,
for instance, of deeply held religious beliefs is disrespectful and invariably
becomes inflammatory and offensive. Whipping up hated against minorities or
against people who are simply different from you will inevitably disrupt the
harmony and good order of society. Equally, imprisoning a young man for
expressing on his Facebook site that he does not believe in God is disrespectful
and wholly disproportionate.
“where ignorant armies clash by night” –
Matthew Arnold: “Dover Beach”
“order that keeps things fast in their place” –
Edmund Burke.
“to educate a child you need the whole tribe”
Do we respect one another; do we respect our parents and
families; do we respect our civic institutions; do we respect those
who are different – perhaps for reasons of race, religion, class,
gender or orientation?
How do we ensure that vulnerable groups are not made more
vulnerable or stigmatised – especially engendering respect for
people with disabilities or the elderly?
Do we respect the finite resources entrusted to us?
Do we use them in a sustainable way?
Do we respect our environment – from the streets and
neighbourhoods where we live to respect for the natural world?
Do we ask what creates respectful and good communities?
Do we understand the importance of
respectful relationships in sustaining
society?
How can we strengthen the local and
unleash the power of creative citizenship?
How can we use the markets and our
economies to re-order priorities, to reduce
the sense of alienation, to encourage mutual
respect?
Are we going to turn our fire on the
weapons of mass consumption, our
addiction to hedonism, materialism and
affluent barbarism?
Dr.Seet I Mee : “Life is
not just about shoes and
mobile phones.”
Do we appreciate the privileges and liberties which
we enjoy and how do we create a tolerant, inclusive
and respectful civil society.
Edmund Burke once observed: “It is easy to give
power, but difficult to give wisdom.” How, then, can
a civic education help in cultivating wisdom and
virtue?
Rights
1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights
The 1948 Declaration was born in the in the
criminality of twentieth century totalitarianism
and the gas chambers of Bergen-Belsen and
Auschwitz and atrocities committed here in the
East.
“Everyone has the right to freedom of thought,
conscience and religion;
this right includes freedom to change his religion or
belief, and freedom,
either alone or in community with others and in
public or private,
to manifest his religion or belief in teaching,
practice, worship and observance.”
Article 18 - An Orphaned Right
The Charter of the United Nations “reaffirmed
faith in fundamental human rights, and dignity
and worth of the human person.” The Charter
required its signatories to promote “universal
respect for, and observance of, human rights and
fundamental freedoms for all without distinction
as to race, sex, language or religion.”
Dag Hammarskjold said “The UN wasn’t founded
to take mankind to paradise but rather to save
humanity from hell.”
“The health and strength of a
community depends on every
citizen’s felling of solidarity with
other citizens and on their
willingness in the name of this
solidarity to shoulder their part of
the burdens and responsibilities of
the community. The same is, of
course, true of humanity as a
whole.”
Responsibilities
Aristotle said we are “social animals”
– and interdependent: “not solitary
pieces in a game of chequers”.
“the whole glory of virtue is in activity” Cicero, in “On Duty”
Mary Ann Glendon: Traditions In Turmoil
If we are to educate for citizenship, we
need a richer language of responsibilities,
duties and obligations – a language which
comes with the privilege of sharing in the
common life of a nation or community
“by those who are thoroughly imbued with the
aspiration toward truth and understanding. …I
cannot conceive of a genuine scientist without
that profound faith” - Albert Einstein
H. G. Wells, understood what would happen if we
fail to appreciate the role of education in fostering
a civilised society, where personal civic
responsibility is cultivated in each person, insisting
that “Maintaining civilisation is a constant race
between education and catastrophe”.
A civic education would encourage
us to consider the role of individual
and corporate philanthropy, the duty
to support the widow, the orphan,
the disadvantaged. It would
encourage us to develop and examine
our conscience.
If we were to educate for citizenship we would
enshrine the duties of each person: to live
peaceably; to participate in civic institutions and the
processes of local and national government; to
contribute to the resourcing of commonly beneficial
institutions; to acquire knowledge and to encourage
the pursuit of knowledge in children; to learn
respect for the needs of others; to behave ethically;
and to appreciate how legitimate rights have been
acquired, and to cherish them.
We would cultivate a respect for customs, laws
and institutions which serve the common good
and harmony of society; we would cultivate a
belief in the supreme importance of the rule of
law; we would share our stories and shared
histories and memorialise the lives which
bequeathed our liberties; and we would
cultivate a reverence for the impulses and
altruistic outpouring which can accompany the
religious faiths which animate billions of
people throughout the world.
What are some of the origins of these ideas?
Justice
Wisdom
Temperance
Courage
Magnanimity
Tolerance
Munificence
Prudence; and
Gentleness
These ideas, along with Judaeo-Christian ideals –
faith hope and charity - are captured by Thomas
Aquinas and continue to inform both religious and
secular discourse.
The Golden Rule:
“What you do not wish for yourself, do not do to
others”
“Since you yourself desire standing then help
others achieve it; since you yourself desire success
then help others attain it.”
“To put the world right in
order, we must first put the
nation in order; to put the
nation in order, we must first
put the family in order; to put
the family in order, we must
first cultivate our personal life;
we must first set our hearts
right.”
“You must be the change you want to see in the
world”
An “upright society” begins with the individual –
the Holy Quran
Dasa-Raja-Dhamma: The ‘Ten Royal Virtues’
1. Dana: liberality, generosity or charity. The giving away of alms to the needy. It is the duty
of the king (government) to look after the welfare of his needy subjects. The ideal ruler
should give away wealth and property wisely without giving in-to craving and attachment. In
other words he should not try to be rich making use of his position.
2. Sila: morality - a high moral character. He must observe at least the Five Precepts, and
conduct himself both in private and in public life as to be a shining example to his subjects.
This virtue is very important, because, if the ruler adheres to it, strictly, then bribery and
corruption, violence and indiscipline would be automatically wiped out in the country.
3. Comfort Pariccaga: Making sacrifices if they are for the good of the people - personal name
and fame; even the life if need be. By the grant of gifts etc. the ruler spurs the subjects on to
more efficient and more loyal service.
4. Ajjava: Honesty and integrity. He must be absolutely straightforward and must never take
recourse to any crooked or doubtful means to achieve his ends. He must be free from fear or
favour in the discharge of his duties. At this point, a stanza from ‘Sigalovada Sutta. (DighaNikaya), a relevant declaration by the Buddha comes to my mind:
"Canda, dose, bhaya, moha - Yo dhammam nativattati. Apurati tassa yaso - Sukkha
pakkheva candima")Meaning: If a person maintains justice without being subjected to
favoritism, hatred, fear or ignorance, his popularity grows like the waxing moon.
5. Maddava: Kindness or gentleness. A ruler’s uprightness may sometimes require firmness.
But this should be tempered with kindness and gentleness. In other words a ruler should not
be over - harsh or cruel.
Dasa-Raja-Dhamma: The ‘Ten Royal Virtues’
6. Tapa: Restraint of senses and austerity in habits. Shunning indulgence in sensual
pleasures, an ideal monarch keeps his five senses under control. Some rulers may,
using their position, flout moral conduct - this is not becoming of a good monarch.
7. Akkodha: Non-hatred. The ruler should bear no grudge against anybody. Without
harbouring grievances he must act with forbearance and love. At this instance, I am
reminded of how a certain royal pupil, an heir to the throne, who had been punished
by the teacher for an offence, took revenge by punishing the teacher after he become
King! (Jataka Text). Political victimization is also not conducive to proper
administration.
8. Avihimsa: non-violence. Not only should he refrain from harming anybody but he
should also try to promote peace and prevent war, when necessary. He must practice
non-violence to the highest possible extent so long as it does not interfere with the
firmness expected of an ideal ruler.
9. Khanti: Patience and tolerance. Without losing his temper, the ruler should be able
to bear up hardships and insults. In any occasion he should be able to conduct
himself without giving in-to emotions. He should be able to receive both bouquets
and brickbats in the same spirit and with equanimity.
10. Avirodha: Non - opposition and non-enmity. The ruler should not oppose the will
of the people. He must cultivate the spirit of amity among his subjects. In other
words he should rule in harmony with his people.
Conclusion
If such indispensable civic virtues – which united
East and West – are not passed from generation to
generation, civic sinews will begin to deteriorate and
atrophy. Let me remind you of a few manifestations
of our disaggregated and dysfunctional society in the
West.
During the height of the 2011 riots in Britain it was
sickening to see a bleeding boy, attacked and
robbed by those who first appeared to have come
to his aid; or the 67-year-old killed because he
tried to prevent arson; or the 11-year-old brought
before the courts and convicted because, along
with thousands of other looters, he exploited the
breakdown in law and order.
Three-quarters of a million British
children have no contact with their
fathers following the breakdown of their
parents’ relationships.
In 2014 the Relationships Foundation estimated the economic
cost of family breakdown at £46 billion
In 2014 there were 68,840 “looked after” children in care. One in ten
children is severely neglected in childhood. In 2013 934,600 youngsters –
aged 10-17 – were convicted of a crime.
According to the Children’s Society, 100,000 children run away from home
every year. In 2012/13 14,863 children called Childline about suicide. Since
it was founded in 1986, it has counselled more than a million children.
More than 140,000 people try to commit suicide every year – many of
them young. Suicide accounts for 20 per cent of all deaths among young
people aged 15 to 24.
Last year, Samaritans answered 4.6 million calls from
people in despair, which is one call every seven
seconds. Also last year, 29.4 million anti-depressants
were dispensed, which is a 334 % increase since 1985
at a cost to the National Health Service of £338
million.
An estimated 1 million elderly people do not see a
friend or neighbour during an average week; 7 million
people are now living alone in Great Britain – entirely
unprecedented in our history. 26% of households
comprising just one and on present trends by 2016 36%
of all homes will be inhabited by a single person.
Many families and communities face indebtedness on an unparalleled
scale. Total personal debt in the UK has reached £1.43 trillion – not far
short of the level of national debt ($1.47 trillion). Indebtedness on this
scale is “intergenerational theft” and is unsustainable. It is also a
reflection of our failure to educate for citizenship – both in terms of
individual as well as collective responsibility.
“We are not in politics to ignore people’s
worries: we are in politics to deal with them”
Education is not the filling a bucket but the
lighting of a fire
Educating for citizenship is not a
spectator sport or the preserve of
a few well-meaning academics or
specialists.
Citizenship awards, “service learning”, community
endeavour all have their part to play.
The story of Bian and the precious Jade
A failure to cultivate what I have called the three Rs
of Respect, Rights and Responsibilities will disfigure
our society, just as Bian, in this tale, was disfigured.
By contrast, if we commit ourselves to educate for
citizenship we, too, will be rewarded with a beautiful
jade. We simply need to commit ourselves to do it.
Singapore Management University’s
Distinguished Education Lecture
March 2015
Education for Citizenship
Professor Lord Alton of Liverpool
www.davidalton.net