Monday column: Should patriotism be introduced in our school curriculum?

Patriotism is the love of your homeland and perhaps it needs to be instilled in young people as early as possible to make sure they grow up to be law abiding citizens.

So the question we should ask ourselves whether there is a strong need to include a subject of patriotism in the school curriculum. Personally, I think young people need to develop a bond with their country as early as possible. It must be built in them for them to have a national pride in the society they live in.

Not just it is important for them to understand law and order but maintain a life-long discipline to serve their country well. But the question is how it should be taught in schools? It should feel like part of the class and conducted by teachers naturally. Peace and respect are the vital subjects to be taught. Why? Because these two elements, so it seems to me, lack in some children these days, who grow up to be wild.

Gone are the days when school children are disciplined by smacking and caning. The laws protect them from “bullying” teachers who were taking advantage of their authority over the children they used to teach.  While I agree that teachers should never beat up students but that should have been replaced with something more much effective to discipline children who are behaving badly.   

So the patriotism classes would need a carefully prepared syllabus designed to make students enjoy taking instructions. First, teachers would need to be prepared before they start teaching this important subject. I would not be exaggerating if I say some teachers, themselves need to understand patriotism to effectively teach the subjects they would be teaching.

It would not serve well to have a teacher, who is going to be a role model for his students, a law breaker in his spare time. It would not be easy but somewhere it needs to start to get teachers well prepared to do it. To really appreciate about patriotism, just read the news on international affairs and you would understand its impact. But again it is not just about law abiding only. It is also about preparing young minds for the future responsibilities and the roles they would take when they are ready for it.

Patriotism is also about teaching students about patience and taking responsibility of their actions. Young students would also need to understand that the role of considering others is of paramount importance. Teachers would need to impress on their students about loyalty and support for their country and the respect of their fellow citizens at all the time.  

You would say parents would also need to take the responsibility, too. It all starts at home and fine-tuned in the classroom. Parents who are behaving badly at home also need to admit that it does not help to raise a successful child that way. So parents too, need to help out on patriotism of their children within the four wall of their homes. In Oman, we are fortunate to have deep roots of cultural and heritage harmony that goes back for many centuries.

In conclusion, patriotism is a wonderful journey towards adulthood if it is well prepared both at home and schools.