THE question is not whether values education is important as a subject or not. An overwhelming majority agrees that it should be part of basic education. More so, that it should be treated as a separate subject because of its uniqueness in its content and approach. This is why values education is offered as a course in college to point out the need for subject specialization. The dilemma, though, is the different conceptions of values education.
According to the study of Muega (2010), there are three ideas on values education. These are religious values transmission, nonreligious values transmission and critical thinking about values. Religious formation refers to the cultivation of a set of values endorsed by a particular religious faith. The doctrine of depravity, belief in God, Four Pillars of Islam, and Ten Commandments are some examples of religious values. Nonreligious values transmission means the teacher’s transmission and the student’s acquisition of values such as honesty, trustworthiness, courage, and kindness. And, critical thinking about values is learning how to think critically in addressing evaluative, especially moral, issues/ dilemmas/ controversies (e.g., abortion, same-sex marriage, cloning, and animal rights). I believe that these three ideas are being mixed up and this creates confusion on the part of the students and even so, on teachers.
These three conceptions though connected and related to each other are distinct from one another. In trying to teach religious values, there are situations where it deviates from the essence of critical thinking. For instance, the practice of faith is regarded as chief under religious value teaching but when one is hungry at the time of attending mass, critical thinking suggests skipping mass to eat is a good option. There are always ways to settle these things for these values not to go against each other but these cannot be harmonized in all situations.
Teachers of other learning areas are not too aware of the content of the subject too. They agree that it is highly important but not keen on the concepts discussed. The general idea is the transmission of values, but what values are to be transmitted are hazy to them. Lack of clarity is the issue here because the conception of values even to values education teachers differs.
Religious values references are based on belief in God, Four Pillars of Islam, and Ten Commandments. Values Education teachers who are more attuned to this conception would not focus on another set of values like non-religious ones. Religious values as mentioned are more on values in conformity to one’s belief in God. The problem is, since not all believe in God or gods, this may be limited to those who are in the sphere of religion. Religious values are, of course, universal, but the outsiders may not look at them the same way. There is a feeling of alienation on their part of non-believers because these values are considered private to those who believe. References are mostly from books affiliated to religion such as the Bible and similar references.
The notion of non-religious values such as the transmission of honesty, courage, and kindness came forth as a result of generalizing values. The basis of secularism is the definite separation between the public sphere and private life. Religion is to be part of private life, while the public sphere should stay neutral on religious matters (Fatih, 2018). Values education is taught in the public school which is run basically by the government; outside the influence of religion. Even without religion, teachers can still transmit the value of honesty and other values.
The third set of values is learning how to think critically in addressing evaluative, especially moral, issues/ dilemmas/ controversies (e.g., abortion, same-sex marriage, cloning, and animal rights). Grade 10 topics on EsP is in harmony with this conception. The lessons are more of utilizing the gifts that we have (conscience, freedom, intellect, and will) to make wise decisions. In the latter part of the lessons are discussion of the prevailing moral issues. The teachers are expected to help the students develop critical thinking in their decision-making. But the point here, in the third conception, is not to tell students what is right and wrong. The students will realize on their own what is acceptable or not depending on the given situation.
Values education is more complicated than I taught. To make it work, the developers should agree on which set of values it embraces to teach our Filipino learners first. The strategies and approaches in teaching should follow. Without settling this concern, the subject continues to get cold treatment from our learners because of confusion of the contents and inconsistency of the teaching-learning approach.