Moral and Spiritual Education Through Sathya Sai Education in Human Values (SSEHV): a cross - cultural approach

The subject of spiritual and moral education and its place in the curriculum is an area of considerable debate in recent years. The purpose of this paper is twofold. Firstly, the paper outlines the moral and spiritual education through Sathya Sai Education in Human Values programme. The history, the evolution, the conceptual framework, the teaching components, and its effectiveness in diverse cultural settings are discussed in this context. Secondly, the paper aims to place the SSEHV programme in the context of the current literature and the conference theme, ' On the Making of Moral Citizens?'

The twentieth century has been characterised by tremendous advances in the fields of science, material well-being and technology but these achievements are also accompanied by negative trends in the social environment everywhere. Our search for bringing deeper meaning into the education of the young persons takes us to explore the relevance of spiritual and moral education in promoting human excellence which includes academic achievements as well as moral and spiritual perceptions.

The Sathya Sai Education in Human Values programme is an international programme focusing on young children throughout the world through

self-development programmes. It aims to bring out the innate goodness of the child by developing the basic universal values of: Truth, Love, Peace, Right Conduct, and Non - violence.

The five teaching components used in the programme are: quotations/theme of the week/prayer/poetry, silent sitting, stories, group singing and group activities. In addition to these direct components, the programme integrates values in teaching of all subjects and all activities of the school. The emphasis here is on educating the whole child rather than just separate subject areas.

The terms spiritual and moral education can convey different meanings both in the context of what the terms signify as well as their place in the curriculum.

Carr argues as follows:

(Carr,1995, p97)

Others take a broader view. John White for example concludes:

Zohar and Marshall relate spiritual intelligence as soul's intelligence. What they refer to as SQ (Spiritual Quotient) is the intelligence which exists in the deep part of the self and is connected to wisdom beyond ego or conscious mind. This is the intelligence with which we not only recognise the existing values but with which we create new values. Zohar and Marshall point out that

SQ makes religion possible (perhaps even necessary), but SQ does not depend on it.

(Zohar and Marshall, 2000, p 10)

At the curriculum level, there appears to be some differences in the stated positions of the NCC (National Curriculum Council) and the Scottish Office Guidelines and these may be noted.

The Scottish Office Guidelines have no specific reference to the spirituality as distinct from religious and moral education.

The meaning and the process of moral education also has different connotations to different people. It is worthwhile to note the views of Coles on what he terms as moral intelligence.

"Moral intelligence" is not acquired only by memorization of rules and regulations, by dent of abstract classroom discussion or kitchen compliance .We grow morally as a consequence of learning how to be with others, how to behave in this world, a learning prompted by taking to heart what we have seen and heard.

(Coles, 1997, p5).

These views may be in contrast to the logical and rational approaches and the learning through 'moral dilemmas'.

This brief overview of the meaning and scope of moral and spiritual education shows that there can be different perceptions.

The Sathya Sai Education in Human Values programme takes a holistic approach to educating the child and recognises the five values as an integral part of the human being. These are the values also recognised by all major religions. However, it adopts a multi - faith approach and allows and encourages each child to follow his/her faith and is therefore conducive to application in diverse cultural conditions. It seeks to develop spiritual values in the child by illustration and example rather than in a prescriptive way. It emphasises the triple partnership between the child, the parent and the teacher. The teacher is assigned a crucial role in developing these values by using the five teaching components and providing a role model.

History

The SSEHV programme originated in India in response to the prevailing education policy in the late seventies. Sathya Sai is a world teacher and a social reformer. Sathya Sai declared that the aim of education is character building. Academic achievement without simultaneously promoting human values is not only useless but dangerous. He emphasised that education must increase empathy and lead to universal compassion. Sathya Sai recommended that an independent body was needed which severed the links both with government and money. Sathya Sai educational institutions were established in India, which included primary, and secondary schools and Institute of Higher Learning. These are the model institutions fully accredited by the Government of India and display the highest academic standards. Each institution provides education free of charge.

Evolution

The international programme bears the name of Sathya Sai as the whole international programme originated from a workshop given by Sathya Sai to an international group of educationists and academics. The programme was then developed by the working team in the form of international programme for application world - wide.

At present, there are 35 Sathya Sai Schools in India. Independent Sathya Sai Schools have been established outside India in: Thailand (1 School), Zambia (3 Primary and 1 Secondary), Nepal (2 Schools), South Africa (4 Primary), Australia (2 Schools), Brazil (1 School), Fiji (1 School), Indonesia (1 School), Mauritius (3 Primary) and Philippines (1 School). Many more schools are planned to start this year. These include: the Connecticut USA, Greece, Canada, and Sri Lanka. The schools are under construction in: Kenya, Zimbabwe, Tanzania, Ghana and Nigeria. The SSEHV programme is introduced as appropriate in the public sector schools in 69 countries in the Eastern Hemisphere.

Each country uses the core elements, namely the five human values and the five teaching components and readopts the programme to national curriculum and cultural requirements.

The UK programme has been in operation since the mid - eighties. At present, workbooks (Workbook 1 - Ages 6 to 9, Book 2 for Ages 9 to 12 and Book 3 for Ages 12 to 13) by Carole Alderman (1996,1999) designed specially for the UK curriculum are being promoted in schools with free training given.

The Institute of Sathya Sai Education was launched in November 1997. It is located in Thailand and provides training, Diploma courses and accreditation to the existing and future Sathya Sai schools. The African Institute of Sathya Sai Education was established in Ndola, Zambia. The Institute will train teachers in SSEHV throughout the Continent of Africa. The Institute awards Diplomas and Advanced Diplomas on completion of training. Sixty practising teachers from Government schools commenced training in January, 2000. The African Institute is affiliated to the Institute of Sathya Sai Education in Thailand.

The schools in Thailand and Zambia were the first to start (1992) outside India. In order to understand the rationale of the programme fully, we can look at available evidence on these schools.

The Sathya Sai School in Thailand was started in 1992 with an intake of 14 pupils to class 1. By 1998, the numbers increased to 120 students and 14 staff members with Secondary school starting in 1998. Pupils were selected by interviewing the parents carefully so that the reasons for enrolling were ascertained.

Ritchie (1998) commented as follows:

Although, the research findings of the independent research project are not available, the research team members had stated in a meeting with the UK SSEHV team members that the most important finding of the project was in the area of ethics, emotions and character of the children of the Sathya Sai School.

THE SATHYA SAI SCHOOL, NDOLA, ZAMBIA: AN IMPACT STUDY OF SATHYA SAI EDUCATION IN HUMAN VALUES

Background

The Sathya Sai School in Zambia was started in 1992. It is located in Pamodzi township. At its inception, the school had 180 pupils: 90 in grade one of Primary Section and 90 in grade eight of Secondary Section. At present, the school has a total of 433 pupils of which 314 are in the Primary Section and 119 in the Secondary Section.

The pupils are admitted from the surrounding townships without any discrimination on the basis of race, colour, religion, and social status. At present, grade eight pupils are accepted from those who fail to secure places elsewhere after the grade seven examinations. The school operates within the statutory framework of the Ministry of Education of the Republic of Zambia. The school prepares the pupils for the Zambian general certificate of Education/School Certificate. The school does not charge tuition fees but accepts a nominal contribution to cover a part of the running costs. It is non-profit making institution unlike the other private schools in the country.

The Aims

The Sathya Sai School in Ndola, integrates Sathya Sai Education in Human Values (SSEHV) programme in its curriculum. The School's aims are:

• Character excellence
• Academic excellence
• Spiritual and Moral Excellence

The programme aims to develop the following qualities in pupils:

• Integrity, wisdom, common sense, creativity, and discrimination (TRUTH).
• Respect for parents, respect for teachers, honesty, good manners, good behaviour, and regard for duty (RIGHT CONDUCT).
• Humility, simplicity, equanimity, tolerance, patience, satisfaction (PEACE).
• Gentleness, compassion, forgiveness, gratitude, kindness, caring for others, friendliness (LOVE).
• Concern for environment, unity, harmony, social awareness, respects for all religions (NON - VIOLENCE).

The programme is taught by two methods: teaching the above five values directly as a separate subject and also through cross-curriculum approach.

Academic Results

For the last five years, the School has attained 100% pass results for grade 9 and grade 12 pupils. The School is first in Zambia to have 100% of the grade 12 pupils achieve top division marks gaining them all a university place.

The Impact Study

Dr Manchishi conducted an impact study of the SSEHV Programme with the following terms of reference:

• To investigate the impact of the SSEHV Programme on pupils, teachers, and the parents.
• To examine and determine the suitability of the SSEHV programme as an educational input for schools in Zambia.

Findings

Impact on pupils

SSEHV had a positive impact on pupils' development and this was displayed in the general behaviour and the level of discipline, readiness to abide by school's regulations, willingness to work hard towards improving acdemic results and give voluntary service to the school. These are spectacular results considering that most of these students were bullies, truants, and rebellious and were involved in activities such as stealing, and had no respect for teachers and the parents. This great change in their behaviour was confirmed by the results of questionnaires and interviews with teachers, parents and pupils themselves.

Spiritual and moral development was also enhanced which was confirmed by the responses of all groups. The school is non-denominational and accepts all religions and faiths. The moral development of pupils is reflected in their level of discipline and in conduct towards one another. The school practically has no problem of vandalism, which is in sharp contrast to the social environment in other schools.

Impact on Teachers

Most teachers at The Sathya Sai School came from Government schools and were trained in government institutions. They came from an environment where indiscipline was the most common feature of school life. These teachers have become dedicated to their work, have become value conscious, and have displayed great improvement in their professional competence. Many offer extra teaching on Saturdays or in evening without extra allowance.

Impact on Parents

The SSEHV had a positive impact on the parents. Most of them became more interested in the academic work of their children and have developed respect for all religions. Most parents expressed the view that the SSEHV had an impact on the whole household.

The SSEHV programme works on the basis of triple partnership between the child, the teacher and the parents and the parents have to sign the declaration at the time of admission of their willingness to co-operate in conforming to the school programme.

Findings and Recommendations

The main finding of the study is that the SSEHV programme had a positive impact on the pupils, teachers, and parents. The pupils at the school have developed more positive personalities in terms of respect for parents, teachers, and authorities. The pupils have developed attitudes of tolerance, caring, law abiding and willingness to offer service.

These achievements have to be placed alongside the excellent academic results. The teachers have expanded their learning horizon displayed in their greater professional competence and in becoming value-oriented. Similarly, parents as a group have benefited too from the positive developments of their children. All the people interviewed agreed that the SSEHV Programme should be extended to other schools in Zambia.

The most important recommendations of the study were: organising workshops/seminars for school managers, and teachers from other schools; to hold discussions with Ministry of Education; consider the status of the school from a day school to residential school.

It should be noted that four hundred participants from nine African countries attended the conference (12 - 15 April 1999) organised by the Sathya Sai School of Zambia. The theme of the Conference was: ' Value Orientation in Education'.

The Conceptual Framework

The conceptual framework of the SSEHV originated from the universal approach to human values expounded by Sathya Sai. It is essentially a multi-faith approach. It can be explained in simple terms by relating it to the mind-body complex in a diagrammatic form.

We can relate the five human values to the three levels of consciousness: the conscious mind, the sub-conscious mind and the super-conscious mind. The large circle in the diagram represents the physical body. We are not just the physical body but we also have a mind, which is very important in the learning process. The small circle in the centre represents the conscious mind. All arrows point towards the conscious mind. This is where awareness and understanding takes place. If the mind is calm and still, we can dive deep into the sub-conscious mind as well as raise our consciousness towards super-conscious mind. The sub-conscious mind is the seat of all our memory. It can be compared to the memory of a computer. We have to know how to retrieve the information from the sub-conscious mind. It is through the activation of the sub-conscious mind which stores all our past experiences that we can find the roots of our negativity such as: anger; greed; pride; hatred; jealousy; fear; and anxiety and also any positive files.

Thus to enhance the learning process, the conscious mind must be controlled and concentrated.

Love is the most important quality with which a human being is endowed from birth. Love is interrelated to all other values. Love is an undercurrent and therefore cannot be visualised.

When love is combined with discernment from our ‘conscience’, or ‘the inner self’, it is the Truth. The Absolute Truth is changeless and is not bound by space and time. Basically, this Truth resides within ourselves and we call it by different names - conscience, 'inner self', Atma. It is also referred to as "God or Divinity" within ourselves. It is without attribute and without space and time.

Zohar and Marshall have referred to this Truth as SQ, the intelligence and knowledge that exists in the deep part of the self. This is from where we derive our intuition.

When the actions are based on the dictates of the ‘inner self’, they become Right Action or Right Conduct. The term Right Conduct is used as there is no other equivalent term in English language to describe the Sanskrit word Dharma to which it relates. Dharma refers to righteousness or moral action derived not from some external forces, but through an individual's own perceptions of what is 'right'. The five senses (sound, sight, smell, touch, and taste) receive the information from the external world, but for the resultant action to be the Right Action, the interaction with the ‘inner self and love is necessary. 'The Right Conduct' can be explained in relation to a number of related values. Examples of these are: courage; dependability; determination; helpfulness; politeness; perseverance; resourcefulness etc.

When Right Action and Truth are practised, Peace follows. Peace is related to the recognition and management of feelings and emotions that are stored in the sub-conscious mind through past experiences. If as a result of information from outside, the conscious mind retrieves some negative files from the sub-conscious mind, the resultant action may not be the right action and in itself may add another negative file in the memory.

On the other hand, if the conscious mind (Head) refers the possible action to the 'inner self' (Heart), the resultant action will be the right action (Hands). Thus, the SSEHV is also 3HVs, Head, Heart and Hands.

The person full of inner peace and love, following conscience, will not act with violence, emotionally, verbally or physically. Thus, Non-violence is the final culmination of all other values. Non-violence relates to Non-violation. Non-violence is present when people do not violate self or others. It includes concern for all living beings in form of Universal Compassion.

The reflection and the spark that has come out of Love is called Truth. The same Love when expressed in action is called Right Conduct. When Love is contemplated upon, mind attains supreme Peace. When we inquire from where this Love comes from, and understand its source, then we realize the great principle of Non-violence.

This part of the paper draws on Majmudar (1998, and 1999) and expands further on some of the contributions listed earlier and the others which now emerge to have strong links to the SSEHV conceptual approach.

Among the earlier approaches, ideas and work of Jung bear closest resemblance to the framework outlined above. Jung expounded the view that we may well extend beyond space and time and ultimately be a part of a higher dimension of reality than that represented by the physical world. He also believed that our consciousness could tap into this higher reality - drawing from it, intuitive and creative insight, wisdom and direction.

In his essay, 'On Life After Death' he posed the final question on the purpose of life. He stated that man had fallen prey to unconsciousness.

Jung's reference to the higher levels of consciousness and their relation to creativity, wisdom and intuition refer to what we have termed super consciousness which is linked to the value Truth.

IQ, EQ, MQ, and SQ

Goleman (1996) explains the timing and the purpose of his work on Emotional Intelligence both in relation to the need of the time and the advances in the field of scientific studies of emotion. Gardner's work, referred to by Goleman, refuted the narrow view of IQ that there was just one kind of intelligence which was crucial for life success. There is now a greater recognition of multiplicity of intelligence. Goleman explains in various ways why EQ can matter more than IQ. Emotional Intelligence is broadly defined in terms of what it takes to lead life successfully.

It includes expanding personal or emotional abilities in five main domains: Knowing one's emotions - Emotional self-awareness; Managing emotions; Motivating oneself; Recognising emotions in others; Handling relationships. Expanding on 'When Smart Is Dumb', Goleman explains:

(Goleman,1996, p36).

Commenting on the trends in crime and violence in general but more so, among the teenagers, Goleman argued that these people are so poor in basic life skill because we, as a society, have not taken enough care that every child is taught the essentials of handling anger, or resolving conflicts, in a peaceful way. There is also very little formal effort to teach empathy, impulse control and other attributes which will increase emotional competence.

Goleman refers to the special courses such as Self-Science, which aim to improve emotional competence and intelligence and include in their content, topics such as self-awareness; knowing if thoughts or feelings are ruling a decision; seeing the consequences of alternative choices; and applying these insights to decisions about such issues as drugs, smoking and sex. These courses also include topics relating to managing emotions and empathy. He concludes that the body of skills that emotional intelligence represents is indeed the old word character.

If character development is a foundation of democratic societies, consider some of the ways emotional intelligence buttresses this foundation. The bed-rock of character is self-discipline; the virtuous life, as philosophers since Aristotle have observed, is based on self-control. A related keystone of character is being able to guide oneself, whether finishing a job, or getting up in the morning. And as we have seen, the ability to defer gratification and to control and channel urges to act is a basic emotional skill, one that in a former day was called will.

(Goleman,1996, p285).

Goleman's (1998) extensive research on the place of emotional intelligence in work led him to reinforce his earlier ideas. Emotional intelligence is of great importance in the work place. The star performers in every field are not necessarily those with high IQs, and first class degrees, but those who have acquired emotional intelligence - a different way of being clever - which includes among other things making effective use of gut feeling, the intuition. Self-awareness, self-confidence, self-control, commitment and integrity; the ability to communicate and influence, to initiate change - are the attributes that matter most in the job market.

There is a growing awareness in education of the need to cater for the areas identified as emotional intelligence. In the UK, the organisations such as Antidote are particularly geared to these goals.

In terms of the SSEHV framework, it should be emphasised that the broad remit of emotional intelligence considerably overlaps with the five values with a considerable emphasis on the value Peace. Peace was seen to be related to the sub-conscious mind which holds both positive and negative files. If the person becomes emotionally competent and intelligent then he/she would add positive files and also in responding to external events arrive at a considered decision (Right Conduct) by using the empathy (Love) and discernment and intuition (Truth).

The SSEHV regards the tool of silent sitting as very important in developing the attributes of character building described by Goleman. A very disruptive force in the classroom is the level of noise and movement. Regular practice of silent sitting can help to quieten children's minds and thereby help reduce stress to the children, teachers and parents at home. Once, children begin to enjoy the simple exercises of silent sitting, their concentration improves contributing positively to the learning process.

Moral Intelligence (MQ)

A special mention needs to be made to the work on what is termed as moral intelligence among others by Coles (1997). As quoted earlier, Coles argued that we grow morally as a result of learning to be with others, how to behave and by taking to heart what we observe around us. He chronicles collected evidence over period of years, realising that children have an extraordinary grasp of events and their possible moral implications, and the children can indeed put to test many of our pet theories. The great merit of his approach lies in the emphasis he puts on the "Heart" in moral growth. He elaborates through his cases the child's ability to learn through the role models around him/her and how some of the behavioural difficulties faced by the child can only be corrected when this learning process is grasped. There is no standard solution or a pure cognitive way to foster moral intelligence. We as parents and teachers often try to do our best by knowing from our heart what must be right.

These references reveal great closeness to the SSEHV approach in its emphasis on 3HVs - Head, Heart and Hands. In particular, Coles reinforces the 'Right Conduct' as was explained earlier.

Spiritual Intelligence (SQ)

Zohar and Marshall (2000), in their book Spiritual Intelligence, The Ultimate Intelligence, SQ, make a very valuable contribution linking the concepts of IQ, EQ and SQ. Their work is of particular relevance as it contains and links the scientific evidence to their approach to spirituality. Their approach to SQ is not linked to religion. Additionally, the authors have been successful in providing a unique blend of scientific evidence combined with a synthesis of Eastern and Western thinking although leaning more to the former than latter. A brief summary of their main arguments is given below.

The authors argue that we live in a spiritually dumb culture which is dominated by materialism, expediency, narrow self-centredness, lack of meaning and dearth of commitment. Referring to Gardner's classification on Multiple Intelligence,

The development of brain and its infinite capacity to grow can be explained in terms of neural connections because it is these that give us our intelligence.

However, they point out that there is a third kind of thinking, which is creative, insightful and intuitive.

This raises the question: What causes the neural oscillations that enable consciousness? Is it possible that some kind of consciousness already exists in the entire universe and our SQ is just a part of it!

While everything posseses a degree of proto-consciousness, only certain special structures like brains have the capacity to develop full-blown consciousness. The central message of the book is that we have immense capacity to evolve and expand our SQ in order to live a more fulfilled life. This, the authors explain through the concept of 'The Lotus of the Self'. The word proto-consciousness refers to a state of basic or a weak form of consciousness.

For our purposes here, it is not essential to explore fully the model of the Lotus of the Self and the various practical ways we, as individual can strive to raise our own SQ.

For the SSEHV perspective, the most important element is the support it lends to the three levels of consciousness referred to in the diagram. The SSEHV framework provides a coherent link between the conscious mind (IQ), the sub-conscious mind (EQ), and the super-conscious mind (SQ). It is in the super-conscious mind where the unitive, creative and intuitive faculties reside. This is where the Truth lies and where SQ roots us at the heart of the universe itself.

The psychoanalytic approaches reviewed above are important contributions which help to understand the SSEHV framework further. Jungian emphasis on consciousness that expands beyond space and time and the possibility that we can draw into the higher reality beyond the physical world blends in with what was termed as 'super consciousness' with its attached value of Truth. Goleman's work was seen as important in understanding Peace. Peace can be realised more effectively when the management of feelings are tackled by working on emotional skills that will enhance self-awareness and self-confidence. We need to pay attention to how to handle negative emotions such as anger, jealousy etc without being violent. Only when, this ground work is done, then we can expect the child to respond morally in form of right conduct. Coles highlighted the basic capacity of the child to have 'moral intelligence' and the capacity to grow morally through experience rather than prescription.

The very considerable scientific evidence on the research on brain development cited by Zohar and Marshall helped to place IQ and EQ in relation to SQ where the latter provides the thinking which is unitive, creative and intuitive thus lending support to the concept of super consciousness and Truth.

Hopefully, the above discussion will also help to understand the diverse views that exist on the scope and content of moral and spiritual education in the UK and also elsewhere. It is outside the scope of this paper to provide a full review of the range of opinions that exist. These contributions are important in the context of their own frame of references, but are quite often premised on the rationality and reason in moral education. A brief outline of a few select contributions is given here in order to clarify their relation to the SSEHV approach.

Hirst (1999), for example, discusses how in the 1960s and 1970s, Kantian style rationalist thinking dominated the views on moral education and moral life. Moral education, according to this view, is concerned with cognitive development which permits understanding of fundamental moral principles that constitute rational living. The moral life is achieved by application of rational thought and judgment, rational actions and rational character. Hirst concludes,

(Hirst, 1999, p 136 in McLaughlin and Halstead, ed)

He further points out that if youngsters do not find what they are looking for, they reject it. The purely rational approaches alone do not appear to have had an impact on the youngsters.

The other related area of some controversy is moral relativism vs absolutism. Moral relativism takes the view that there is no absolute moral truth as all moral beliefs and the statements that express them are true only in relation to some moral system or the other. Thus, there are different types of relativism which are constituted either of individuals or of some community. Moral absolutism on the other hand, refers to the view that there is absolute moral truth, the view that moral beliefs and statements that express them are true (or false).

Talbot expresses her concern on the merits of relativism and opts for the existence of some common shared values.

Character education and virtues is another vexed area of debate. The SSEHV approach gives prime importance to character building. Goleman's work also emphasised character. However, it is also an area interpreted in different ways in an educational context. McLaughlin and Halstead provide a useful discussion and they distinguish between 'character education' which they term as 'non-expansive' and 'education in character and virtue' which is 'expansive'.

The main characteristics of 'non-expansive' character education are as follows:

1. a widespread agreement about the nature of social ills and what is needed to overcome these;

2. a claim that certain basic or core values can be identified;

3. it is necessary not only to foster an understanding of these basic qualities of character and virtue but to shape the pupils so that these qualities are developed in them;

4. the task of developing these desired qualities should be undertaken systematically;

5. three sets of influences are important: the example set by teacher, the organisation and ethos and direct instruction;

6. a claim that discussion of difficult moral issues is deferred until the children are ready to receive these after appropriate instruction in moral values and character in early years of schooling.

The more expansive education, by contrast, involves an easing of restrictions, the rationale offered being much broader than in 'non-expansive' education and "the qualities of character and virtue going beyond the basic and towards fuller recognition of the role of reasoning." (McLaughlin and Halstead, pp 138-141)

The SSEHV approach recognises the five universal values and has structured teaching components. The role of teacher as role model is made explicit. Thus, it can be seen that the SSEHV approach is 'non-expansive' in the above context. It also has very little connection to a purely 'rational' and the relativist approaches. It remains firmly rooted in the psychoanalytic approaches outlined earlier.

THE TEACHING APPROACHES AND THE TEACHING COMPONENTS IN SATHYA SAI EDUCATION IN HUMAN VALUES

The SSEHV programme, based on the five human values has three distinct approaches. These are:

Integration of values in curriculum subjects

Integration of values in extra-curricular activities

The Direct Method

The SSEHV programme has proved to be a powerful tool in promoting the overall development of the child in situations where it is used with full commitment. It is useful to examine the rationale for this approach and its tools in the broad framework by outlining briefly how the programme relates to the process of child development, the various influences on the child in early years, and the role of the teacher.

The Five Human Values and the Child Development

The aim of the SSEHV programme is to foster and nurture the inherent goodness in each child and help to sustain it by regular practice through difficult periods of emotional growth. Various studies have charted the emotional behavioural patterns of adults to the problems of emotional adjustments in early years. Hoffman's study on empathy referred to by Goleman (1996) for example illustrated a natural progression in empathy from infancy onwards. As early as the age of two, children begin to differentiate between their own feelings and that of others. Goleman stressed that to be most effective, emotional lessons must be linked to the development of the child and should be repeated at different stages that fit into the child's changing understanding. It is increasingly recognised that some teaching of social and emotional skills should ideally start in pre-school years as these years are marked by development of "social emotions" such as feelings of insecurity, envy, pride, confidence and empathy. The early school years, 5 or 6 to 11 years are most crucial as the emotional growth is intricately linked with other developments which include cognition and biological maturation.

The core value in the SSEHV programme is Love. In practical terms, the development of love and empathy are taught through a set of related values as we will discuss presently. By positively reinforcing these values from an early age, it is expected that the child will be supported by positive influences adding positive memory "files" in the sub-conscious. Sathya Sai states that education must lead to a "broadening of heart". This term encompasses expansion of love and consciousness and universal compassion.

Influences on the child

The most important influence on a child, especially in the early years, is the parent and home environment.

Coles points out that basically all young people - sons, daughters, students - are looking for moral, as well as psychological, and cognitive direction. Babies need to learn yes and no. Elementary school children need to learn how to get on with others. Teenagers have even more difficult a task as they are learning to cope with physical maturation of their bodies and are, at the same time, put under tremendous pressure by peers, and by media influences. So how should we, as parents and teachers, convey our principles, values and convictions to the next generation? Most of the time we respond to the situations with our instincts.

The current social trends in relation to the changing family patterns - an increase in one parent families, multiple partners and the shifts in the employment patterns with a greater proportion of women working - place tremendous pressures on those in charge of children's upbringing and welfare.

The Influence of TV

The other big influence on the children's home environment comes from the TV, video, video games and recently from the internet. Various scientific studies have been conducted to study the influence of TV on young child. Dr Johnson (1999, unpublished) refers to the various studies (Fischer et al, 1991, Singer, 1989) which show how violence seen on the TV leads to more aggressive behaviour in children. Everett (1997), points out that we don’t allow our child to talk to strangers, yet through television we allow strangers into the minds and souls of our children everyday. These "strangers" (advertising agencies) are creating the standards for what is "good", or developmentally appropriate, for the developing brains of our children.

Dr Johnson also referred to the studies (Healy, 1990 , Pearce, 1992, Buzzell, 1998, Winn,1985) which draw the attention to the possibility that the actual act of viewing television could have a potentially damaging effect to the brain of a developing child than the actual content of what is on TV. She further points out that the heart is now seen as an organ of perception that can respond to a stimulus and release a hormone-like substance that influences the brain's activity. This phenomenon is referred to as our heart intelligence. Television cannot give us this intelligence of the heart.

If the heart, like the brain and probably the rest of our body, gives off electromagnetic waves (Pearce,1992, Tiller, 1999) then there is a form of subtle energy that only can be experienced between human beings by relating to each other in physical space. (Johnson,1999,p7)

The Role of the Teacher

The teacher has a very important role to play. The Sathya Sai Education in Human Values Programme stresses the importance of the teacher in providing a role model. As values are being taught through example, the teacher has to live the values to be able to convey them. If for example, we want the children to arrive in time, it follows that as teachers, we have to be punctual. If we want to teach , that 'honesty is the best policy', then this has to be reflected in the daily behaviour of staff as the children learn through observation much more than through formal lessons. As teachers, we also should be aware that it is not just the formal teaching that influences a child. We convey a meta-message through our appearance, voice, posture and general mannerism. Values education is one area where there is not much scope for a distance between teaching and practice.

Others have recognised the role of the teacher in conveying and promoting values.

Carr for example concludes that:

But all this precisely reinforces the main point of this paper that there cannot be same space for shortfall between the values which a teacher holds and professes in his personal life and what is expected of him in his professional life that might be possible in other occupations. Because values are, of their essence, kinds of commitment, and because a proper grasp of their significance requires first hand experience of their operations and practical consequences, an effective teacher of values can only be the individual who exhibits them in his personal life.

The Direct Method: SSEHV

The main purpose of this approach is to help the children learn the values in an illustrative, and enjoyable way. The five teaching components are used: Quotations/Theme for the week/ Positive Thoughts/Prayer; Silent sitting; Story, Song; and Group activity.

The children benefit from this approach as it gives them an opportunity to:

• Explore and discover for themselves what right and wrong mean.
• Develop greater empathy and therefore more compassion for others.
• Take greater responsibility for their actions.
• Discover how to be happy, confident and responsible members of society.

The five values are conveyed through a number of related values which are summarised below for illustration, although many more can be added under each main value.

TRUTH: Integrity; Wisdom; Common sense; Creativity; Discrimination.

RIGHT CONDUCT: Respect for parents; Respect for teachers; Honesty; Good manners; Regard for duty.

PEACE: Humility; Simplicity; Equanimity; Tolerance; Patience; Satisfaction, Discipline.

LOVE: Gentleness; Compassion; Forgiveness; Gratitude; Kindness; Caring for others; Friendliness.

NON-VIOLENCE: Concern for environment; Unity; Harmony; Social awareness; Respect for all religions.

Let us briefly consider each of the five components.

Theme of the Week/Positive thinking/Quotation/Prayer/Poetry

This component is powerful tool that can be used in assembly and help to counterbalance the negative images transmitted to children through TV, VCR etc.

Children can be asked to discuss the theme or quotation as appropriate.

Benefits of dynamic thinking/ positive thoughts/ quotations/poetry: It encourages positive thinking; helps develop self-confidence, introspection, humility.

In the British Humanist Association booklet on Assemblies, Hemming wrote,

The themes of assemblies are the great human themes - courage, achievement, love, compassion, wonder, imagination, joy, tragedy, hope, responsibility, humanitarian endeavour and mystery of existence.

White discussing the NCC curriculum guidelines, argued that one needs to address the question of both the 'content' and how it is presented. The collective worship should be inclusive of all the pupils. Many schools use wording such as:

He further adds that

In thinking about how we provide opportunities for spiritual growth, is it too fanciful to suggest that a 'quiet minute' should happen as a structured component of many school activities and learning experiences?

The importance of introspection is recognised by many. For example, McGettrick, states that

Silent Sitting

Children should be encouraged to sit quietly for a few minutes every day. It is a very powerful tool because with constant practice the children will become more receptive and intuitive.

It is recommended that every class should start with a couple of minutes of silence. The regular use of this tool will reduce the class noise and improve concentration. Silent sitting can be introduced in various ways.

Examples of these exercises include:

• Alternately tensing and relaxing different parts of the body.
• Becoming self aware through listening to different sounds and speech.
• Self-awareness through watching oneself breathe.
• Taking part in guided visualisation exercise.

Normally these exercises are done with eyes closed.

The teacher has an important role to play as the guidance given through voice has an impact on the children.

The benefits of silent sitting are: improved memory; better concentration; feeling at peace; equipoise; self-control; develops intuition. Silent sitting is a very effective tool for young children especially in the age group 5-11 and helps the children to be in touch with their 'inner-self'. The need for this is recognised by many.

Story Telling

Story telling is an ancient art. Long before there were written languages, information was passed down in the form of stories. Most religious and world leaders have used story telling to explain and illustrate their teachings. Stories have a deep effect on children. Something told in the form of stories will be remembered and treasured, which otherwise might soon have been forgotten. Story telling is a very good vehicle to convey values, stimulate imagination, and create fun and participation in the lesson conveyed by the story.

To summarise, story telling helps to develop listening skills; generates interest; develops creativity; promotes relaxation; gives inspiration, humour and fun and imparts knowledge.

Johnson for example lists a number of activities that can help children develop their brains. She recommends,

Group singing

The importance of music is increasingly recognised.

Most children like to sing, but may be shy to sing on their own. Singing creates a joyful atmosphere and is a good way of creating unity, harmony and self-confidence in children. The effect of song remains with the person long after the class is finished and the values that are in the lyrics will remain in the child's consciousness for a long time. The recent researches have confirmed the positive effect of music in a variety of situations including class work.

Benefits of group singing include: promotes health (breathing); creates harmony and co-operation; strengthens the memory; brings joy in the class room and helps build good character.

Group Activities

Group activities consist of two words : Group and Activities. These words convey their meaning and importance.

All round development of children requires them to grow up and get on well with others. Children learn to communicate, co-operate and share with one another. They need to be effective listeners too. One of the main purposes of group activities is for the children to learn how to work and play in a harmonious way.

Group activities include: role play and drama, games, attitude tests and quizzes, group discussions, and art and craft work.

It is increasingly recognised that all activities in which children use their hands, feet and whole body in performing purposeful physical activities, help develop children's gross motor skills and myelinate pathways in the higher brain. Activities such as knitting, woodworking, origami, string games, finger games, circle games, painting, drawing and colouring help develop fine motor skills and also myelinate pathways to the higher brain (Johnson, 1999).

The benefits of group activities in addition to the above include: develop co-operation; creativity; sharing; unity; harmony; team work, and listening to others' opinions.

A typical lesson plan will take one of the five values as the theme and use a particular related value. It will then use all the five teaching components. The impact of the lesson plan does not necessarily lie in any one of the methods or even in the specific value itself but it is the combination of the values and the components which gives its uniqueness. Once more, it needs to be emphasised that the ultimate success depends on the teacher.

Integration of values in the curriculum subjects

The curriculum subjects are taught in each country according to the national curriculum requirements. However, it is still possible to integrate the teaching of values in all the subject areas which include, arts subjects such as History, Geography and Languages and also science subjects and Mathematics. As one value is taken as the theme of the week, it is possible for other teachers to integrate values as far as possible in their own subject areas. Subjects such as History and Geography lend more easily to the teaching of values. The lives of great persons, can be very illustrative of values conveyed.

The subject of the place of spirituality and moral education in the curriculum in the UK has created considerable debate. Baldwin for example states:

He points out in the context of History curriculum that

(Baldwin,1996 in Best ed.p214)

Other writers have also highlighted languages and literature, history and science as important areas for conveying values. Newby concluded that

(Newby, 1996,in Best ed. p292).

Jumsai (1997) provides ample demonstration of how values can be integrated into Sciences and Mathematics. Burrows (1997) discusses and illustrates the integration of human values in Arts subjects and Extra-Curricular activities. In the UK, the Good Values Club run by Dipak Fakey, at Abbey Primary school has set an excellent example showing how values can be conveyed through games as lunchtime activity and after school activity in addition to formal classes in PSHE. The school has received a special acclaim in OFSTED report.

To summarise, the three approaches used in the SSEHV programme provide a powerful system to elevate the development of the whole child nurtured in a value-oriented environment paying full attention at the same time to the requirements of the national curriculum.

It was argued by Majmudar (1998 and 1999) that in the context of the deep human crisis at the end of the twentieth century, the education of future citizens needs to be redressed so that a better balance is achieved between academic excellence and human values and moral perceptions. It was concluded that the SSEHV programme which has a good international track record and is cross-cultural, fulfils these requirements without replacing any other resource materials and can be adopted in different cultural settings and the national curricula.

This paper has presented in-depth the possible impact of moral and spiritual education through Sathya Sai Education in Human Values and shown how it can help to redress many of the negative trends in social and school environment in practical terms.

The conceptual framework of the SSEHV programme blends well with the recent psychoanalytic approaches and the scientific studies on brain development.

It was argued that SSEHV approach does not fit well with the purely 'rationalist' and the 'relativist' concepts. Within the character education categories, it offers what was termed as 'non-expansive' character education. This classification relates to the specific emphasis given in SSEHV to: the five universal values and their relative values; the teaching components; the emphasis on the teacher as role model; and the teaching input through an integrated cross-curriculum way.

It was maintained that the five teaching components when used in an appropriate way, provide a powerful system to raise the awareness of the child, help build self-confidence and equip the child with the 'inner resources', so that the child is able to work out what is 'right' in any given situation.

The important point to realise is that it is not the individual teaching components, but their use together which makes it a powerful programme. Its effectiveness is raised when the teacher and the school ethos provide the supportive environment for children, as was shown in the cases of Zambia and Thailand. Admittedly, it is easier to provide such environment in the independent Sathya Sai schools and there will be many more, in the years ahead. However, wherever there is a supportive school ethos, and the head teacher and the teacher have used the programme with full commitment, the results have been positive. This appears to be the case for many public sector schools in the UK where the programme is adopted.

The making of moral citizens in the context of SSEHV must mean persons with "human excellence" which includes in addition to academic abilities, strength of character, persons equipped with 'inner resources', ready to fulfil their role in the family, the society, the nation and the global community of which they are part of.

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Contact Address: Dr Madhavi Majmudar, 9 Fair hill Crescent, Perth PH1 1RR, Tel. + 44 1738 632729, Fax: + 44 1738 447896, E Mail: madhavi@cableinet.co.uk.

Carole Alderman, The UK Convenor, Sathya Sai EHV, The Glen, Cuckoo Hill, Pinner, Middlesex, HA5 2BE. Tel. 0208 429 2677, E Mail: SATHYASAIEHV@dial.pipex.com

Website: www.SATHYASAIEHV.org.uk