Character: The Foundation of Education

The purpose of education is to draw out the best from our students. It should be about more than just making good grades on bubble tests and making money after graduation. Education should teach students how to learn and to develop a love for life-long learning. Students need to learn to think for themselves. They need to be prepared to handle the problems they will encounter, to live purposeful lives and to learn the value of making a contribution to others and society.
Knowledge without character provides students with a weak foundation for facing the problems and temptations of life.
There are many examples of intelligent and well educated people who ended up in trouble or in prison because of character defects . Humane values need to be the foundation of education. A good education should help students to develop character traits and qualities such as courage, integrity, compassion, self-regulation, honesty, resilience, humility and caring about others. Bertrand Russell put it this way, “You must believe that you can help bring about a better world. A good society is produced only by good individuals.” Our students need the skills, inspiration and character to live meaningful lives and to make a positive difference  in the world.