Degeneration of human values cause for concern

by Ananda Kannangara

A media survey, conducted at various educational institutions, at private and public sector institutions, reveals that human values among young and the older generation are deteriorating. The `Sunday Observer' last week sought the views of leading personalities on this issue.

The founder of the Pragna Pradeepa concept and Western Province Councillor Dr. Jayantha de Silva was not at all happy with the behaviour of many youngsters today.

"Many of them lack human qualities and it is the duty of elders to improve the minds of younger generation by encouraging them to indulge in various social activities, apart from their education.

His advice was that when children from their young days engage in social and religious activities they will automatically improve their human values.

"Therefore I appeal to the elders, especially the parents to get interested in various social activities to keep them occupied, instead of watching late night television programs which tends to corrupt young minds,".

He said he started the school text books and educational equipment distribution programs among children in urban, rural and remote schools during the past twenty years through his `Pragna Pradeepa' concept with the sole objective to improve their human values. "Therefore I appeal to educational authorities to conduct programmes on human values in schools, like the `Shramadana Week' held in the past, to upgrade their human qualities."

Chairman and Managing Director of Semage group of companies Kumara Semage admitted that the present generation do not focus much attention towards human values due to the economic and social situation they have to face today.

"They do not have a settled mind and as a result they give priority for various other factors such as finding suitable employment somehow for their future well-being,".

He said as elders, it is their duty to educate the younger generation on the importance of upholding human values as it is immensely needed to lead a better life.

As a father of three children and five grand children, he said the younger generation cannot be blamed for their lack in human qualities as in most cases their minds do get corrupted by elders to a certain extent, with their tacit approves to involve in activities and also allowing them to watch unsuitable television programs.

Private sector employee Krishan Dissanayaka said that due to lack of human values, the present day children do not respect their parents or their teachers.

"I have noticed some male children consuming liquor in the presence of their parents and the parents do not admonish them".

He said elders too should be blamed for this.

Managing Director, Printwell Lanka (PVT) Ltd, Jayantha Athula Dabare too agreed with the same sentiments.

"Some elders do not show the correct path to their children and in some occasions the elders corrupt the minds of youngsters by allowing them to indulge in various unlawful activities". This situation bears an influence on values of youngsters and therefore appeals to all elders, especially the parents and the school teachers to encourage them to divert their attention to social and religious work, when time permits .

Gitendra Liyenege of Colombo hit out at some teledrama producers for the deterioration of human values, with their programs and called on the Media Minister to disapprove television channel owners who screen low quality programs.

"Recently I watched a late night TV program, touching on a story with a daughter being molested by her father."

He said although the real scene was not shown in the program, the director had manoeuvred it in a subtle way without actually showing the scene.

"Therefore I appeal to the Media Minister to exercise his authority to check on such low quality programs and then impose a ban".

Additional Secretary of a Government Ministry Kusumsiri Samarajeewa asked school teachers and university lecturers who are responsible to improve the minds of younger generation to be cautious of the day-to-day activities of children under their care.

"I feel around 40 per cent of school children and nearly 90 per cent of university students in the arts and commerce faculties lack human values and therefore I appeal to the authorities to introduce new subjects which could exhort on the importance of human values,".

He recalled his career in the university which was very famous for strikes, fast-unto-death campaigns and assault on lecturers and said they did protest campaigns and thereby destroyed the university properties in the process to achieve their demands.

"But now I realise that wanton destruction was purely due to lack of human values which was not there in us and therefore request authorities to help seek the light at the end of the dark tunnel. "Why cannot the Education Department introduce new subjects in the curricula to improve human qualities in children,". Private sector employee Gayan Kannangara said the children lack human values due to disgusting behaviour of some school teachers and university lecturers.

"Recently at a farewell party, in a university, some women students danced with their lecturers after partaking in spirits, and this sort of a situation will not at all help in our endeavours.

Undergrads at the Rajarata University, Gayathri Wijayawickrema suggested the parents ought to send their children to Dhamma schools first as this may help to improve human values.

Teledrama Director, Yohan Lankathilaka said that the present day generation are only after money and least bothered about human values.

"I remember a time when a girl and a boy came to act in one of my teledramas, pursuing and their intentions without the blessings of their parents!".

"Actually if they had any human values with in them, they would never come forward to act in films without the permission of their respective parents,".

He, therefore, appeals to all parents and school teachers to stress on the importance of human values. Mother of two, Vijayanthi Samaradivakara of Wakwella, Galle, asked teledrama producers to undertake films that project values or ethics.

"In the present day, almost all the TV channels show dramas that highlights shootings, killings, fights, robberies, arguments between parents and children etc."

He said such films tend to have an adverse effect on human values in the majority of children who watch them regularly and it is the responsibility of elders to prevent exhibiting such films on TVs.

School boy attending Royal College, Colombo, Madushanka Munasinghe wants the education authorities to make the subject `Religion' compulsory even in the Advanced Level classes as it helps to improve human values of the younger generation.

A student of Girl's High School, Mt. Lavinia, Menaka de Silva asked the authorities to come down hard on publishers of low quality magazines with nude photographs of women as this too will have an impact on the younger generation.

"Every Sunday my father buys two English and one Sinhala newspapers and retains the magazines sections with him, saying that the photographs and stories, which appear in the magazine sections could easily destroy human values".

Mother of two and a teacher of Presbyterian Girl's School Ratnapura, Kaushalya Tennekoon said that some television programs corrupts the young minds of the younger generation and bring down the human qualities among children.

She asked the authorities not to allow TV channels to show such unsavoury films.

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