When South Africa abolished apartheid in the early 1990s, we began the difficult but necessary process of transforming the nation's schools from a segregated, unequal system into a single, nondiscriminatory one. Our new Constitution—especially its Bill of Rights—espoused equality, individual freedom and responsibility, and security. For those core values to take root in our young democracy, however, they would have to become an integral part of our education system.
To achieve this goal, the Minister of Education, Kadar Asmal, tasked a Working Group on Values in Education to write a report on the appropriate values for the country's schools to adopt. This group's activities culminated in a document titled Manifesto on Values, Education and Democracy,which identified 10 values fundamental to the Constitution and relevant to education: democracy; social justice and equity; equality; non-racism and non-sexism; ubuntu (humanity to others); an open society; accountability (responsibility); the rule of law; respect; and reconciliation.
In neighboring Namibia, which gained its independence from South Africa 16 years ago, the first democratically elected government was struggling with a similar task. That nation's Constitution, ratified in 1990, states that Namibia is founded on the principles of democracy, the rule of law, and justice for all. With these principles in mind, the government identified the goals of access, equity, quality, and democracy as fundamental to education reform in Namibia.
For both countries, identifying important values was just the beginning. The real, ongoing challenge is to root these values in our society, in part by promoting them in our schools.
Origins of the Project
In 2003, I taught a module called Values in Education to a postgraduate bachelor of education honors degree class in Windhoek, Namibia. The class consisted of 50 full-time teachers from all over Namibia who had registered for the two-year, part-time class in order to improve their understanding and practice of education. From the outset, the teachers were inspired by our discussions. Said one, “I was very much touched when our lecturer talked about values. . . . I realized that a nation without values cannot prosper.”
To experience values in action, we developed a Values Manifesto for our class—a set of principles that we considered most important in our interactions. This exercise generated such energy, common vision, and commitment that we decided the teachers would do the same with a class of their choice back at their home schools and write about the process. Together, we would attempt to answer the question, “Can the development of a classroom Values Manifesto be a useful way of integrating values into learners' education?”
The teachers' schools varied from metropolitan to deeply rural. Fifty classes, ranging from grades 1 to 12, participated. All schools were coeducational. The home languages of students and teachers were Oshiwambo, Nama, Afrikaans, RuKwangali, and Otjiherero, but the classes were taught in English.
Values: Defining the Term
The first challenge for teachers in developing their own Values Manifestos was to clarify the concept of values. Many of their students appeared never to have heard the word values in English or to have used the equivalent in their home tongues.
The teachers used various strategies to help students relate this term to their everyday experience. One teacher began by asking students to discuss their recent academic reports, what they hoped to achieve this year, and what motivated them. This led to a discussion of which values were important to them in life. Another teacher asked students who their heroes and heroines were. After naming such figures as Sam Nujoma and Nelson Mandela, students reflected on the important personal values that guided these heroes' lives.
The teachers helped their students understand that values are not rules but rather “something that guides and directs us how to live and behave,” as one student said. Some teachers referred to the Namibian Constitution as a “book of values” that guides the country's rulers.
Status Quote
Status Quote - The Values Manifesto Project
If there is dissatisfaction with the status quo, good. If there is ferment, so much the better. If there is restlessness, I am pleased. Then let there be ideas, and hard thought, and hard work.
—Hubert Humphrey
Developing Values Manifestos
Values cannot be legislated. If they were imposed, they would remain rootless, and lifeless. Vital, durable values grow from dialogue and discussion and lived experience.Next, the teachers helped learners use dialogue to decide on the values that they would want to guide life in their classroom. Most teachers had their students work in small groups, which presented their chosen values to the rest of the class; then the class as a whole debated and decided on the five most important values. With a great sense of ownership and pride, the classes wrote up their final Values Manifestos. The following were the top values chosen (and the number of times they appeared in classes' top-five lists).
Respect (54). As one class summed up this most popular value, We have to treat everyone as a human being irrespective of gender, tribe, etc. We have to consider and respect other people's ideas and value their contribution.
This value was listed twice in some classes—once under the related term of tolerance.
Punctuality (32). The second most important value for the learners was “to develop a habit of being on time for any educational activity.” One teacher related, When I asked the learners why they had chosen punctuality, they said, “Time is very important, and in order to start our lessons on time and to maintain class discipline, we need to be on time.” I asked, “Me included?” They responded, “Oh yes! If you are not on time, the learners can end up in a chaotic situation.”
Responsibility (29). As one class wrote, Learners are expected to learn very hard and to do their work and teachers must teach learners and not be absent from classes or doing their own business.
Commitment/Hard work (26). Many classes felt that it was important “for both teacher and learner to have courage to work hard to dedicate their time to academic and sport activities.” One teacher delightedly wrote, “Learners agreed to work very hard. They ordered me to give them a lot of activities to practice.”
Democracy/Equality (22). Learners argued that to be valuable citizens and leaders in a democratic Namibia, “we should practice at school and live out democracy by getting involved in discussions and decision making.” Further, “equality must be practiced everywhere and in all situations.”
Discipline (21). One class creatively wrote, A class without discipline is like a football game without a referee; therefore it is disqualified. If there is a lack of discipline, lessons are not able to reach their goals.
Cooperation (21). Learners stated that students and teachers should help one another by sharing resources and ideas, working as a team, compromising, and being forgiving and loyal.
Honesty (17). In one class, learners pledged not to cheat during tests or examinations, not to play truant from class or from school, not to steal classmates' property. No more false excuses for not being in class.
Another class's definition of honesty was “to remain true to yourself and to others.”
Personal qualities (10). Some classes named qualities that they felt learners and teachers should have, such as flexibility, confidence, credibility, courage, creativity, kindness, critical thinking, joyfulness, altruism, and ambition.
Good communication (7). One class expressed this as “Speak English; talk to classmates; participate in class; listen when taught and ask where possible; follow instructions.”
Active involvement (4). Some classes committed themselves to asking questions and participating in group discussions and debates.
Cleanliness (4). Although perhaps not considered quite next to godliness, cleanliness was chosen by a few classes that felt it was important that “learners keep themselves, their clothes, and their classroom clean.”
Excellence/Quality (3). A handful of classes highlighted excellence, doing work that meets a high standard, and continually improving.
Most classes made their Manifestos into large, colorful posters that everybody in the class could see to be reminded of their values each day. A class of blind students made a string outline of a person with Braille-written values pasted onto it so that everyone could read it daily. In one class, every learner signed the bottom of the poster to show his or her commitment to the Manifesto. Some classes also made individual copies for learners.
Classes regarded the Manifesto as “a guide to discipline, and encouragement to do the right thing.” Many emphasized that the guidelines applied to both teachers and learners.
Not all students were immediately taken with the exercise, especially the older learners. One teacher wrote, The reaction of the 12th graders to the Manifesto was one of muted skepticism. All, however, expressed their willingness to give it a try although they recognized the difficulty involved in adhering to the values.
Some classes, in contrast, were so excited by the Values Manifesto exercise that they shared it with their whole school at an assembly or a series of assemblies. One class involved other classes, prefects, teachers, and the headmaster in developing a schoolwide Manifesto.
Immediate Effects
Following the values exercise, many teachers reported that students showed an improved work ethic, a greater capacity for critical thinking and debate, and better test results. Class participation increased, and learners “developed a sense of added responsibility and genuine freedom to express their opinions.”
Teachers also noted changes in classroom environment. One wrote, “The values that we started in our class have become the culture of our class.” Students showed more respect for individual differences and were more cooperative, confident, and open with their classmates. They also took more responsibility for the management of the class and reminded one another of the rules when appropriate. Most teachers confirmed that “teacher-learner relations became healthier, with more mutual understanding.” All class members now knew what was expected of them, and this encouraged greater cooperation and closeness while reducing conflicts and problems.
The Manifesto exercise also changed teachers themselves. Teachers reported that they felt personally challenged to practice the values adopted by their classes. They felt compelled to prepare more thoroughly for lessons, to be on time, and to be more committed. At the same time, the changed dynamic relieved them of much of the normal stress of classroom management. For many teachers, the experience led to insights about their own role. One teacher noted, I began seeing my role as that of accompanying the learners through a long process of internalizing values. I was becoming a learner.
Sustained Change
Six months after the Values Manifesto exercise, I asked teachers to comment on any long-term effects. Almost all teachers reported sustained change. On the whole, the learners had maintained their improvement in the areas of hard work, cooperation, respect, creativity, honesty, and responsibility. A couple of classes, however, were still struggling with punctuality.
Some teachers commented on the values' positive effect on gender equity in their classes. One wrote, Most of my learners are Oshiwambo-speaking, and in their culture men don't have respect for women. Thus, boys of our school never had respect for girls, but since they have learned about values, they show new respect to girls.
For many teachers, the democratic nature of the exercise fundamentally changed their professional lives. One wrote, The Manifesto helped me as a teacher to try and respect learners' ideas, as well as try to accept them as they are.
Another, acknowledging the influence of her traditional culture, wrote, I was one of those teachers who believed that an African child could not be disciplined without the use of the whip. However, the outcome of this exercise proved me wrong.
The influence of the Values Manifesto exercise was not limited to the individual teachers or to their classes. In response to the example set by these classes, Values Manifestos spread throughout many of the schools. One teacher wrote that Some colleagues have decided to incorporate [the issue of values] into their day-to-day lesson plans to make it part of their lesson presentations. . . . Our school's discipline has drastically improved; no major disciplinary cases are being reported. School attendance has also improved.
In some cases, a school's long-term institutional culture has changed. One teacher noted, I personally observed something that I did not notice over the past five years that I have been at this school: A shared sense of pride, a feeling of belonging based on a common identity, has been formed at our secondary school.
A Long Journey
Humanists, proponents of democracy, and optimists in general have long believed that when people are given real freedom and responsibility to choose, they can be trusted to choose wisely. The results of the Values Manifesto exercise in Namibian schools seem to confirm this belief.
This project provided overwhelming evidence that developing a Values Manifesto helped integrate values into the educational experience of students. The Values Manifestos had a long-lasting impact on all concerned—learners and teachers. One teacher's final reflections perhaps sum up the exercise best: My initial assumption was that the students would adopt the imposed Manifesto and pledge their commitment to it, and then the process would be over—it would be back to square one. . . . I saw the Manifesto as a one-time declaration. Now I am beginning to see it as more than that. I am seeing it as a long journey of the students and myself—a journey of growth, development, and self-discovery. The values that the students listed are more than “class values.” Learning and internalizing them will facilitate the learning process in the class. But they are universal values for life and not restricted to the classroom.
