Building A Student's Character Starts At Home, Not School - Educators

By Shaidathul Suhana Ros

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 18 (Bernama) -- "To bend a bamboo, start when it is still a shoot," is an old saying that serves as a reminder that the formation of a person's character and personality must begin from a young age under the guidance and upbringing of parents at home.

Although students spend at least six hours a day at school, the reality is that parents play the primary role in shaping the character of their children, not only to ensure academic success, but also monitoring their social interactions, use of social media and emotional development, in today's world of the internet.

Secretary-General of the National Union of Teaching Professions (NUTP) Fouzi Singon stressed that it is inappropriate to place all disciplinary and moral issues of students solely on the shoulders of teachers and school.

"Education does not begin at school but has long started at home. Schools merely reinforce the existing education of students that has been shaped by parents and families," he said when contacted by Bernama.

He said teachers have fulfilled their responsibilities according to the curriculum and established guidelines, but their space to shape students' personalities is quite limited compared to families who are free to nurture their children from an early age.

"Parents must return to re-engage, to interacting and communicating frequently with their children to maintain a warm, cordial speaking relationship. Parents should not be caught up in their own affairs until that warmth in the family fades," he said.

He hopes that society would no longer add to the burden of teachers with various new theories or suggestions every time an incident about students occurs, while stressing that recent events should not add pressure to educators.

Fouzi also proposed that a special committee be established to re-assess the national education system, to be more aligned with current and near-future needs, besides emphasising that any flawed system must be changed decisively and courageously so that the educational climate remains conducive.

Lecturer at the School of Social Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) Prof Datuk Dr Sivamurugan Pandian also agreed that the foundation of personality formation must begin at home with parents as the first educators.

"Parents are the first educators who instill values, manners and discipline, while schools play a role in reinforcing them through academic and social guidance," he said, adding that balance can only be achieved when home and school move in tandem in shaping the personality, spiritual, physical, morals and intellectual development of students.

Sivamurugan stated that today's reality shows that more and more parents are handing over the full responsibility of educating their children completely to the school, whereas continuous parental supervision is key to form a balance between knowledge, values ​​and respected character.

He proposed that the concept of the 'education triangle' between home, school and community be strengthened again through more open communication and a shared moral responsibility.

"Life, emotions and the soul must be invested in relationships between all members of society so that technology and social media do not control our minds, but rather that we control them. This includes the relationship between students, teachers, parents and society," he said.

Meanwhile, Universiti Poly-Tech Malaysia (UPTM) vice-chancellor Assoc Prof Dr Sharifah Syahirah Syed Sheikh, in an interview on Bernama TV, said that the digital world offers great benefits if used wisely, but when out of control, it can be harmful not only to immature children who imitate behaviour, but also to adults.

She advised parents to set time and other limits on the usage of device and filter out inappropriate content, while ensuring open communication so that children feel safe to share problems such as cyberbullying or exposure to negative material.

The issue of student discipline and misconduct has been in the spotlight recently following several disturbing incidents at schools, including the stabbing case in Petaling Jaya and sexual misconduct in Melaka and Kedah schools, which have sparked this debate about what truly shapes the character of today's students.

-- BERNAMA