Teachers Advocate for Integrity Education to Address Moral Decline in Schools

Teachers in Kakamega have advocated for the introduction of classes on personal integrity in order to combat the community’s moral decline.

Speaking on the sidelines of a training session designed to teach them moral lessons, teachers lamented that the majority of students lacked morals, which was the root cause of the country’s rising crime rates, rising divorce rates, higher rates of substance abuse, corruption, and decline in ethical business and political practices.

The school head of Vihiga Education City, Alexie Muzame, expressed that he believed the current levels of corruption would be lower or possibly nonexistent if the education system had trained learners with strong moral values.

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Muzame referred to the common saying, “Train a child in the way he should go, and when he grows up, he will not depart from it.”

The training provided champion teachers with lessons on the virtues of prudence, justice, temperance, and bravery, which they would then impart to their students.

Alexie Muzame emphasized that while it is not mandatory to include these aspects in the curriculum, individual schools have the option to establish clubs aimed at imparting important virtues to their students, as these qualities contribute significantly to the formation of a strong and cohesive society.

Kizito Wafula, a Guidance and Counseling teacher at Shivehe Secondary School, lamented that the moral standards of adolescents in schools were deficient and called for prompt intervention.

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He recommended that more training on virtues be provided to both teachers and students outside regular class time, emphasizing the importance of imparting these lessons from organizations like the African Child and School Initiative Organization, which promotes virtue-based education in elementary schools.

At the Bishop Stam pastoral center in Kakamega, teachers from Kakamega, Vihiga, Busia, Bungoma, and neighboring counties were present.

One of the session’s tutors, Bernard Litwachi, drew parallels between virtuous nations and the formative years of a generation, stating that this is the optimal time to instill values.

He stated that their primary focus is on character development. He stressed the importance of good manners.

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The aim is to help them distinguish between right and wrong and to encourage them to respond positively to their various abilities, whether it’s in leadership, sports, or any other pursuit.

The teacher argued that the rates of violence, bullying, and even adolescent pregnancy had decreased in institutions where virtue classes had been implemented.

He said education should not merely be an endpoint but rather a means of instilling admirable character traits in students.

He noted that the goal is to nurture students who will continue to exhibit positive behavior beyond their formal education.

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Teachers Advocate for Integrity Education to Address Moral Decline in Schools