Study on the Importance of Including Concepts Related to Value Education in the Grade Six Western Music Sri Lankan School Curriculum

Abstract

A perfect person is not born at birth. Just as we learn mathematics and languages, we should also become specialists in those lessons that are fundamental to living in harmony and social progress, such as respect, empathy, equality, solidarity, and critical thinking. Without these and other ethical principles that define us as human beings, it will be difficult for us to build a better world. Value education, therefore, promotes tolerance and understanding above and beyond our political, cultural, and religious differences, putting special emphasis on the defense of human rights, the protection of ethnic minorities and the most vulnerable groups, and the conservation of the environment. Developing value education in students is the primary responsibility of all stakeholders, and it is not the sole responsibility of each school. It is the collective responsibility of the family, schools, universities, businesses, and sports associations to provide all the ideal contexts to teach those ethical principles. Teachers and students are directly involved in the learning-teaching process of the school system according to the curriculum designed for the school system by the Education Ministry of Sri Lanka. Teachers must have a good understanding of the syllabi relevant to any subject and have a good understanding of school children. Teachers should comprehend their learners’ needs, tastes emotions, possibilities, aspirations, and mental and psychological capacities. Therefore, teachers are the major contributors among the key parties who make any changes and developments in the curriculum. Teachers have a vast body of knowledge and experience about the knowledge, skills, and attitudes to be taught to children through the curriculum, as well as concepts and skills related to good personal and social habits, and it is important to look into that when the curriculum is reformed. All these malpractices occurred because of the lack of knowledge of religious, moral and education values. Therefore, it is the foremost duty of each and every citizen of Sri Lanka to promote and rebuild value education. As such, this study may help to promote and develop a specific value education in the school system of Sri Lanka. If students do not learn good values through education, they will have to face various problems not only in school but also in society. The incorporation of value concepts into the school curriculum may be a solution to resolve this situation. When designing curricular, one needs to ask such questions such as, how should value concepts be included in the curriculum? What are the values that should be taught in the current curriculum? Failure to ask teachers about the inclusion of value concepts into the school curriculum can lead to several practical problems in the learning-teaching process.