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Published in the Sun on Tuesday, 28 Oct 2025
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Rebuilding Our Moral Core
The
recent shocking incidents – from the heinous murder of a student within school
grounds to the gang rape in a classroom, violent bullying, to the circulation
of such assaults online – have sent a chilling tremor through the nation,
forcing a long-overdue conversation about the moral compass of our youth. While
experts rightly call for stricter supervision and legal consequences, we must
look deeper into the erosion of our moral and ethical foundations, a decay
significantly accelerated by the unregulated digital world, and the roles of
our primary institutions: the school and the family.
This is not merely a failure of discipline, but a symptom of a wider moral
crisis. As noted by experts, there is a growing culture of indifference to
consequences, where the authority of teachers is undermined and parental
leniency often overshadows necessary guidance. To address this, we must revisit
and significantly strengthen the role of moral education, not just as a subject
in school, but as a lived value championed collectively by parents and
educators.
The Corrosive Influence of Social Media
A critical factor exacerbating this crisis is the pervasive influence of social
media and digital content. As Assoc Prof Dr Siti Khadijah Zainal Badri noted,
constant exposure to explicit material on streaming platforms and social media
can warp a young person’s sense of consent, respect, and accountability.
This digital ecosystem normalises violence and desensitises young minds to
suffering. Cyberbullying, conducted from behind a screen, erodes empathy and
encourages cruelty without immediate consequence. The pursuit of online
notoriety can drive heinous acts, such as the recording and sharing of
assaults, turning victims into content for public consumption. This creates a
dangerous illusion of impunity, where the line between virtual validation and
real-world criminality blurs, potentially contributing to tragedies like school
bullying, gang rapes, and even murder. When harmful behaviour is gamified,
shared, and left unpunished in the digital realm, it loses its sense of gravity
in the physical world.
Lessons from the Past and the Wisdom of Confucius
Malaysia is not navigating uncharted waters. In the late 1970s, following
a period of social upheaval, there was a concerted national effort to embed
moral education within the school curriculum. This was a proactive,
society-wide recognition that academic excellence alone could not guarantee a
harmonious and ethical citizenry. We must rekindle that spirit of collective
responsibility now.
In this endeavour, the ancient wisdom of the Chinese philosopher Confucius
remains profoundly relevant. He famously stated, “The strength of a nation is
derived from the integrity of its homes.” This underscores that character
building begins not in the classroom, but in the living room. A child’s first
and most influential moral educators are their parents. A parent takes care of
a few children, while a teacher in class may have 20 to 40 charges. A child
typically spends more time with the parents and at home, rather than with a
teacher in school. Confucius also emphasised the importance of leading by
example: “When a prince’s personal conduct is correct, his government is
effective without the issuing of orders. If his personal conduct is not
correct, he may issue orders, but they will not be followed.” This principle
applies equally to parents and teachers; we cannot lecture on values we do not
ourselves embody.
Making Moral Education Effective: Beyond Textbooks
For moral education to be more than just another grade on a report card, its
delivery must be dynamic, practical, and holistic, especially in countering
digital pitfalls.
1. Parents and Teachers as Role Models: The most powerful moral lesson is
a consistent example. Children are astute observers of the behaviour of the
adults around them. Parents must demonstrate honesty, empathy, and respect in
their daily interactions, including their own use of technology. Similarly,
teachers must be supported to reclaim their moral authority, respected not just
for their knowledge but for their character.
2. Interactive and Experiential Learning: Moving beyond rote
memorisation, the curriculum must incorporate digital literacy and ethics,
using:
Role-playing: Allowing students to navigate
scenarios involving cyberbullying, peer pressure to share explicit content, or
ethical dilemmas online.
Simulations and Case Studies: Analysing
real-world cases of online harassment and its real-life consequences to build
critical thinking and empathy.
Community Service: Linking learning to action
by involving students in projects that foster real-world connection and social
responsibility, countering digital isolation.
3. A Whole-School, Whole-Family Approach: Moral education cannot be
confined to a 40-minute period. Schools must create an ecosystem that
reinforces positive values and digital citizenship. Crucially, this must be supported
by parallel awareness campaigns for parents, guiding them on monitoring digital
exposure, having open conversations about consent and respect, and modelling
healthy online behaviour themselves.
A Collective Duty
The violent acts in our schools are a tragic reflection of a lapse that extends
beyond school gates, deep into the digital spaces our children inhabit. While
the Education Ministry must review disciplinary frameworks and integrate
digital ethics into teaching, society cannot outsource character building to
the system alone. Parents have the bigger and more fundamental responsibility
to lay the ethical foundation and guide their children’s digital journey.
Let this moment be a catalyst. By combining the structured efforts of our
schools with the unwavering, daily commitment of parents, we can begin to mend and
strengthen the moral fabric of our youth. It is a duty we all share to ensure
our schools remain safe havens for learning and character formation, and our
homes the primary crucible where virtue is forged from a young age.
Dr
Gan Siowck Lee
