Moral Education: Panacea for a Free and Stable Nigerian Society

Abstract

Societies are formed by humans in order to achieve stability by way of having protection from aggression, and engendering cooperation of others in overcoming individual weaknesses. Nigeria has witnessed some degree of social instability in recent years. This has manifested in insecurity of life and property, extreme poverty, youth unemployment, and mutual distrust in basic human relationships. The education sector can be implicated in the challenge of instability as it is the system which is saddled with the responsibility of human capital development. The education system seems to be lopsided towards intellectual development of learners as opposed to balanced (cognitive, affective and skill) development of individuals. This paper adopts method of philosophical analysis to survey relevant literatures and theoretical postulations on human freedom and social stability with a view of interrogating how extensive guarantee of freedom could be reconciled with realization of human development. The paper underscores the school system as a point of early social interaction, and a focal point in preparing individuals for participation in social life by way of inculcating in them the consciousness of their dependence on others in spite of their independence as free beings. It is advanced that education system needs to focus on producing balanced and cultured individuals who can rationally exercise their freedom. An integrative moral education model of teaching moral is proposed as innovative pedagogical skill which teachers can adopt to enhance learners’ social consciousness.