Interna tional Jo urna l o f Applied Research 2021 ; 7 (1 2 ): 36 -39

ISSN Print: 2394-7500

ISSN Online: 2394-5869
Impact Factor: 8.4
Relevance of human values in the higher education
IJAR 2021; 7(12): 36-39
www.allresearchjournal.com
Received: 28-10-2021 Kanyakumari S
Accepted: 30-11-2021
Abstract
Kanyakumari S ‘Human society may not significantly sustain without human values’.
Assistant Professor,
Education plays a vital role in the social and economic development of a society and the nation. The
Department of Humanities,
M.S. R. I.T. M.S.R. Nagar,
purpose of education in general and higher education in particular is to facilitate actualization of human
Bangalore, Karnataka, India potential, by making conscious of human values.
There is no denying the fact that the present society is facing a lot of crises. Human values crises are a
known fact of the modern society. Hence, it is necessary to talk on the subject and bring about
awareness of human values into the present education system. This is an attempt to explore the
importance of human values in the Higher Education/Professional courses.
Objective
1. Introduce value-based living: To facilitate the development of a Holistic perspective among
students towards life and profession as well as towards happiness and prosperity based on a right
understanding of the Human reality and the rest of existence. Such a holistic perspective forms the
basis of Universal human values and movement towards value-based living in a natural way.
2. National educational policy: One of the fundamental principles of the N E P- 2020 is imparting
ethics and human & Constitutional values like empathy, respect for others, democratic spirit,
scientific temper, liberty, responsibility, pluralism, equality, and justice. Also to ensure dignity &
integrity and high quality of practises supported with values.
3. The overall objective of higher education is to serve the mankind: That will not be met if
students are not introduced to aesthetics, well-being & values of the human society. Therefore it is
important to learn holistic approach a study on human values.

Keywords: human values, higher education, social

Introduction
Education is a core value; education is aspect of every knowledge. If handle carefully it gives
solutions to all the problems, if it’s not handled properly it creates problems to all the
solutions.
Higher education is the pillar of career and leadership building, the values and virtues
practiced in universities heavily influence the future leaders. Therefore Human values are
essential to inculcate positive behaviour and actions.

What are human values?

Human values are the virtues. They are the many positive dispositions that create bonds of
humanity between people and thus have value for all of us as human beings. They are our
strong positive feelings for the human essence of the other. It's both what we expect others to
do to us and what we aim to give to other human beings.
Human values are the foundation for any viable life within society; they build space for a
drive, a movement towards one another, which leads to peace. Human values are universal,
they are shared by all human beings, whatever their religion, nationality, culture, personal
history. By nature, they induce consideration for others.
Human values are for example brotherhood, friendship, empathy, compassion, love,
openness, listening, welcoming, acceptance, recognition, appreciation, honesty, fairness,
Corresponding Author: loyalty, sharing, solidarity, civility, respect and consideration. These human values have the
Kanyakumari S effect of bonding, comforting, reassuring and procuring serenity.
Assistant Professor,
Department of Humanities, The function of most of these basic values is to make it possible for every human to realise or
M.S. R. I.T. M.S.R. Nagar, maintain the very highest or most basic universal core values of life, love and happiness.
Bangalore, Karnataka, India
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Human values help in understanding the attitude, 2. Through the study of Human values students are
motivation, behaviour, and also influence one’s perception encouraged to self-explore the proposals by verifying
about the world. They enable the interpretation of “right and them on the basis of their natural acceptance within
wrong” and provide the ways to understand humans and oneself and validate experientially in living.
organizations. 3. The prime focus throughout the course is toward
affecting a qualitative transformation in the life of the
Need of Human Values: Human values inspire us to better student rather than just a transfer of information.
put into practice our moral values, especially in conflict
situations, when we tend to put them aside and become Importance of Human Values
confrontational. Basic human values which are expected in all human beings,
Value education is always essential to shape one's life and to (irrespective of positions of the person) They are- Right
give one an opportunity of performing on the global stage. Conduct, Peace, Truth, Peaceful co-existence, Discipline.
Value education enables us to understand our needs and 1. Right Conduct: Contains values like self-help skills
visualize our goals correctly and also indicate the direction (modesty, self-reliance, hygiene etc.) social skills-
for their fulfilment. It also helps remove our confusions and ethical skills (courage, efficiency, initiative, punctuality
contradictions and enables us to rightly utilize the etc.) and Ownership.
technological innovations. Value-based education aims 2. Peace: Contains values like equality, focus, humility,
at training the student to face the outer world with the right optimism, patience, self-confidence, self-control, self-
attitude and values. esteem etc.
(The need for value education among the parents, children, 3. Truth: Contains values like accuracy, fairness, honesty,
teachers etc, is constantly increasing as we continue to justice, quest for knowledge, determination etc.
witness increasing violent activities, behavioural disorders 4. Peaceful co-existence: Contains values like
and lack of unity in the society etc.) psychological (benevolence, compassion, consideration,
morality, forgiveness etc.) and social (brotherhood,
Why is the human value relevant to Higher Education? equality, perseverance, respect for others,)
To understand Self & mutual developments. environmental awareness etc.
To understand Inclusive & sustainable growth and Smooth 5. Discipline: Contains values like regulation, direction,
function. order etc.
To build Confidence & mould themselves.
To understand relationship & environment. Expected outcome
By the end of the course, Students are expected to become
Incorporating Universal Human Values in Higher more aware of them selves, and their surroundings (family,
Education society, nature) they would become more responsible in life,
Higher education is leadership education. In the institutions, and in handling problems with sustainable solutions, while
Students are members of a small society that exerts a keeping human relationships and human nature in mind.
tremendous influence on their overall development. Holistic They would also become sensitive to their commitment
approach A study on human values play a major role in towards what they have understood (human values, human
inculcating their ethical behaviour. relationship and human society)
To highlight plausible implications of such a holistic
understanding in terms of ethical human conduct, trustful Vision for the Universal Human Order
and mutually fulfilling human behaviour and mutually (Four entities of the Nature are Material order. Plan tic
enriching interaction with nature. order, animal order & human order.)
Universal Human Values in Higher Education -Provides Human order emphasizes on definite human conduct rather
understanding of the attitudes, motivation and behaviours. than indefinite Human conduct.
• Influences our perception of the world around us. The students are able to develop an outline of holistic model
• Represents interpretation of “right and wrong” of definite human conduct. Like self exploration, right
• Provides a way to understand humans and organisation understanding, value in human relationship, understanding
harmony in the society,
Many institutions of higher education simultaneously show 1. Self-Exploration: it’s a process of self-evolution,
excellence in academic subjects, are green campuses with knowing oneself and through that knowing entire
manifold ethics curricula, are active members in community existence. The students start exploring themselves, to
engagement, and also are adept in providing value get comfortable with each other. They also start feeling
orientation to all stakeholders. that lack of understanding of human values is the root
It is universally felt that the status of teaching profession cause of most of the present-day problems; and a
requires to be raised to ensure its dignity and integrity. sustained solution could emerge only through
Accordingly, it is considered necessary that there should be understanding of value-based living. (Any solution
a code of ethics which may be evolved by the teaching brought out through fear, temptation of dogma will not
community itself for its guidance. be sustainable.)
2. Right understanding: it’s about knowing human
The salient features of study of Human values conduct and character and living accordingly. The
1. It presents a universal approach to value education by students are able to see that lack of right understanding
developing the right understanding of reality through leading to lack of relationship is the major cause of
the process of self-exploration. problems in their family and not the lack of physical
facility in most of the cases, For instant- if giving
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higher priority to earning of physical facility in the life, By now, more than 40 universities, with more than 4000
giving less value to or even ignoring relationships and institutions, across 10 states in India, are offering this
not being aware, that Leeds to disorder. foundation course as a core part of their academic curricula.
3. Values in Human-to-Human Relationship: Recently, the All India Council for Technical Education
recognizing one’s relationship and fulfilling it, the (AICTE) included Universal Human Values as an essential
students are able to note that the natural acceptance component of the model curriculum for technical education
intention is always for living in harmony, only throughout India.
competence is lacking! We generally evaluate ourselves
on the basis of our intention and others on the basis of Significant insight in this domain
their competence! We seldom look at our competence • It covers the entire expanse of human living from self to
and others’ intention as a result we conclude that I am a family, society, nature & existence and covers all
good person and other is a bad person. dimensions of human life- thought, behavior, work and
realization.
'Trust' & ‘Respect’ are the most important human • Addresses the ‘Self’ – discusses the human being,
values for establishing relations of peace particularly the Self and does not just focus on external
1. 'Trust' is the Foundational Value in human realities. This turns out to be self-empowering since
Relationship, that quantifies and defines our inter- each individual is able to make decisions and find out
dependence in relationships with others. what is of value to them in their own right.
2. 'Respect' –as the Right Evaluation- and only right
• It relates to one’s life and living – establishes relevance
evaluation leads to fulfillment in relationship.
in a person’s life and does not just deal with
Information and skills. One can see the results of this
Understanding Harmony in the Society: It’s about being
understanding in human living at all levels-
in harmony with oneself and entire existence.
Many present problems in the society are an outcome of • They are deeply held principles that guide our choices
differentiation like gender biasness, generation gap, caste and influence our emotions. Values represent what we
conflicts, class struggle, dominations through power play, believe to be right.
communal violence, and clash of isms and so on. All these • Value-based education is essential to bring about the
problems can be solved by realizing that the other is like me desired transformation –individual transformation
as he has the same natural acceptance, potential and towards the development of human consciousness and
program to ensure a happy and prosperous life for them and societal transformation towards an un-fragmented,
for others through he may have different body, physical humane society.
facility or beliefs.
Of course, the introduction of the foundation course in the
Incorporating Universal Human Values in Education present mainstream education system is only the starting
In the academic domain, successfully experimented for point. From there, the journey has to go a long way. The
several years with the course inputs designed on the basis of next step is making transition towards value- based
research efforts primarily in two modes. education, in which the whole content of education is
▪ In the first mode, this input has been experimented designed on the basis of universal human values, i.e.
mainly with the teachers in the institutional framework education for the well-being of all. This would result into
through Teacher Orientation Programs. value-based living in the family, and ultimately in the whole
▪ The other mode also has been successfully human society.
experimented in a large number of professional Analysis:
institutions.
Right Understanding
Human Values Foundation Course in Higher Education Human Values reflect the sense of right and wrong in a
IIT Delhi since 2001 involving extensive consultations with person. They also refer to appropriate courses of action,
various stalwarts. From 2005, IIIT Hyderabad started values define what ‘ought’ to be in society. Once we
conducting full-scale implementation experiments to understand about what is really important for us, they
introduce a two-semester course on human values for the become the basis for our desire and the action engaged with
engineering students it. In order to make society as well as individual happiness
In 2009, UP Technical University (now called AKTU), and balance with his surroundings, there is need to explore
Luck now decided to launch the foundation course in the value domain through value education.
‘Human Values and Professional Ethics’ in all its affiliated
professional institutions which provided a sort of break- Fulfillment of the Basic Human Aspirations
through in implementation of Human Values in Higher In the current scenario, we are (human beings) generally
Technical Education. The first edition of this book was trying to achieve happiness and prosperity by maximizing
brought out at this juncture. It was followed by Punjab accumulation and consumption of physical facilities. The
Technical University (PTU), Jalandhar in 2010. The physical facilities are not seen in terms of fulfilling bodily
foundation course was initiated in about 300 professional needs but as a means of maximizing happiness. This has
institutions after extensive teacher training. The work at resulted in wrong assessment of wants for physical facilities
P.T.U subsequently also included development of a post- as being unlimited. But this pursuit is self-defeating., as it
graduate diploma and an M. Tech. Programme in this amounts to trying to fulfill unlimited wants through limited
domain. resources. This effort is engendering problems at all the
levels. It is becoming anti-ecological and anti-people, and
threatening the human survival itself.
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Some of the consequences of such a trend are

summarized below
1. At the level of the individual – Rising problems of
depression, psychological disorders, suicides, stress,
insecurity, psycho-somatic diseases, loneliness etc.
2. At the level of the family – Breaking of joint families,
mistrust, conflict between older and younger
generations, insecurity in relationships, divorce, dowry
tortures, family feuds, wasteful expenditure etc.
3. At the level of the Society – Growing incidences of
terrorism and naxalism, rising communalism, spreading
casteism, racial and ethnic struggle, wars between
nations, attempts of genocide, fear of nuclear and
genetic warfare, etc.
4. At the level of nature – Global warming, water, air, soil,
noise, etc. pollution, resource depletion of minerals and
mineral oils, sizeable deforestations, loss of fertility of
soil.

Conclusion
Human Values play a very leading role in Present
Educational Institutions. Human values are now withering
very fast for which we humans are most responsible. Value
based education should be emphasized ranging from school
to university level of education. Human value is generally
known to be a moral standard of human behaviour.
Therefore, human values should be preserved and protected.
Human values may be treated as keys to the solution of the
global problems., Already some universities prescribed
human values and moral values syllabus for improve the
humanity of the students. It's a great achievement to present
and next society and educational institutions.

Reference
1. Narayan RS. A Text Book on Professional Ethics and
Human Values, New Age.
2. Gaur RR, Sangal R. A foundational course in Human
Values and professional ethics, Excel books.
3. Tripathy AN. Human Values, New Age International
Publishers.

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