There is a welcome initiative taken by the universities to inculcate moral character building among the students. Given the serious state of moral degradation caused by the unabashed use of social media, degeneration in our socio-cultural values, and the increasing youth bulge, the efforts by the universities seem to be driven by the correct understanding of the youth's role in shaping Pakistan's future.

Their good intentions notwithstanding, what the universities can at best do is introduce a course or courses, energise moral character societies, and improve the general environment of the university in terms of teaching ethics, behaviour of faculty and staff, and regular sessions by scholars and motivational speakers to teach students about the virtues of adopting moral behaviours and developing strong characters.

While appreciating the intentions of the universities, it must be kept in mind that students reach universities after passing through five stages of their character development: family, school, college, societal changes, and universities. This sequence of character building is well defined by theorists in both Western and Eastern schools of thought in psychology, sociology, and religion.

For instance, psychologist Lawrence Kohlberg suggests that core moral reasoning patterns are formed before adulthood. Emile Durkheim is of the view that morality is sustained through collective life. Albert Bandura says individuals learn ethics by observing behaviours. Imam Ghazali brings in the concept of Ikhlaq.

From the Islamic perspective, hidayat and tarbiyat. From these perspectives, it emerges that moral character building is a lifelong journey. In this journey, universities can at best play an important part, but that part mainly relates to ethical refinement, not character building.

In the context of the sequence of moral character building, let us take Pakistan as an example. In this sequence, family comes first. In Pakistan, family institutions are weakening, the nuclear family has given way to individualism, and the tradition of respect for elders and listening to words of wisdom is diminishing. Social interactions at mohalla sittings and collective sharing in masjids are decreasing. These are being replaced by self-interest-based interactions and self-motivated religiosity.

Moral character building must begin at the earliest stages of life; universities can at best serve as ethical refiners, not the sole creators of strong character

Moral character building must begin at the earliest stages of life; universities can at best serve as ethical refiners, not the sole creators of strong character

At the level of schools, the country has gone through many changes in its educational policies and curriculum formation, swinging between laying importance on primary education and tertiary education. The four-tiered education system at the basic level consists of government schools, private schools, elite private schools, and madaris.

There are different models to reform education at this level, like the Finnish model. However, while elite private schools may adopt such models to create qualities of moral character and civic sense, the remaining systems may not be able to adopt available foreign models due to administrative incapacity, lack of political will, bureaucratic inertia, or religious considerations in the case of madaris.

The same applies to colleges, where children grow into adults with immense energy and a new sense of freedom from the disciplined school system. Here again, the four types of education systems create gaps in developing ethics and character. Outdated textbooks, fatigued teachers, and a lack of sports facilities contribute to a rebellious disposition and hopelessness.

Next comes the phase of social changes. One may begin with the military regime of Zia-ul-Haq, who turned seminaries into war-making factories. By banning student unions, introducing Islamisation policies, controlling the media, and creating sectarian fault lines, the regime deeply affected Pakistan’s moral and social fabric. Awash in heroin and arms, the youth experienced cognitive dissonance — a split between youthful energy and superficial religiosity.

Moving forward, the governments of Nawaz Sharif, Benazir Bhutto, General Pervez Musharraf, and subsequent administrations opened up the economy to market dynamics, leading to consumerism. This further weakened the nuclear family, as capitalism thrives on individualism.

This individualism is amplified by social media operating under corporate logic to sell products, both tangible and intangible, for profit. As a result, serious, reflective, and thought-provoking content is overshadowed by fake information, unethical claims, and sensational material. Morality has taken a back seat.

In such a socio-political and media landscape where content is less about character and ethics and more about character assassination, deviation from morality becomes almost natural.

Reverting to the sequence family, school, college, socio-economic society, media, and universities, it becomes clear that we need to build an integrated moral ecosystem. This ecosystem requires corrections from the beginning, not merely at the final station of this lifelong journey, namely, universities.

The universities’ resolve is praiseworthy, yet the issue of moral character building of our youth bulge is far more complex. Moral character building must begin at the earliest stages of life; universities can at best serve as ethical refiners, not the sole creators of strong character.

© The Friday Times