MICHELE VAN ECK | Education key to combat bad ethical habits from destroying our democracy

 This year marks 30 years of democracy in SA, a period to reflect on the progress our country has made in redressing past injustices and achieving social and economic equity.

While there are many successes to be proud of, much of the good work in the country has been overshadowed by the persistent reports of corruption, fraud and all manner of dishonesty.

The rot appears to have settled within all spheres of life, including the public and private sectors, with crippling consequences for ordinary citizens. This is not the type of situation that South Africans envisaged at the start of our democracy, and it is certainly not a reflection of the values of accountability and transparency that underpins the Constitution.

Thirty years into democracy, our country has been plunged into a crisis, plagued by the vices of all manner of criminality.

One is tempted to draw parallels with the experiences of celebrated African author Chinua Achebe. Lamenting the scourge of corruption in his native country, he said, “indiscipline pervades our life so completely that one may be justified in calling it the condition par excellence of contemporary Nigerian society”.

This rings true of the state of SA today. This state of corruption and ill-discipline has continued despite the government introducing additional laws, regulations and various sector codes to regulate organisational and individual behaviours.

Changing behaviour is not something that can be resolved by laws and regulations alone. In this context, the words of Edmund Burke come to mind. He suggested that evil (or unethical behaviour) is not accidental; rather, continuous unethical conduct becomes a habit.

Unethical behaviour cannot be addressed in a symptomatic manner but must rather be directed at a foundational level, which is our youth. If a strong ethical basis can be established within our youth, then many of the symptoms seen today could be addressed.

Greek philosopher Aristotle (like Burke) seems to suggest that ethical behaviour is something that is learned. Unfortunately, most people are expected to know the importance of honesty and integrity as a matter of fact.

Put differently, there is a misconception that some unknown “common knowledge” of ethical behaviour is imparted to a person by simply being alive.

James Clear notes that “habits are the compound interest of self-improvement. The same way that money multiplies through compound interest, the effects of your habits multiply as you repeat them”.

Extrapolating this principle to a societal setting, one can say that such habits within society must then be established within an educational environment that fosters honest and accountable habits in our students. In doing so, the compound interest of such habits will be seen in the adult lives of our students and have a transforming effect on society.

Drawing again from the wisdom of Clear, if our goal is to change our outcomes (being a more honest, ethical and accountable society), then both systems and our identity as a society and a nation must be addressed. Education is not limited to a person’s knowledge and skills, but includes sound, reasonable and ethical decision-making.

Therefore, educational structures must give our students the right tools to make the right decisions, which will require change at all levels of the country’s educational structures.

Our students are the mirror of our future. It is our responsibility, as individuals and as a society, to lead our students into having the capability and moral fortitude to make ethically right decisions now and in their adult lives. 

If we are serious about fighting corruption and unethical conduct within SA, we must change our habits as a society. Only by doing this will we be able to honour our constitutional values and preserve these democratic ideals for future generations.

• Prof Van Eck is associate professor and head of the department of private law at the University of Johannesburg. These are her personal views