Rethinking the Justification of Teaching Morality: Review-Based Evidence

Abstract

This article aims to stimulate dialogue on the urgent need to teach morality as an integral part of life-long learning. The article is premised on the claim that moral responsiveness and conduct can only be achieved through moral education. Based on a critical analysis of relevant documents, the article attempts a justification of teaching morality. Specifically, it seeks to answer the question of whether or not morality can be taught in both formal and informal situations. It goes deeper into the inevitability of teaching morality, raising scholars’ views on the moral concerns inherent in the teaching enterprise. Furthermore, the article grapples with the issue of whether teaching is a moral undertaking, the aspects in which teaching is a moral enterprise, and the extent to which the role of the teacher is implicated in moral education provision. In conclusion, the review confirms that, like academic disciplines, morality can be taught as well as learned and that the teaching of morality is not limited to school or college premises only. Finally, the article contends that the teaching of morality is not an obligation of just professionals in the teaching sector but of all and sundry.