Character Education Remains Normative, Real-World Practice Questioned
Character education has long been promoted as a key foundation of the education system, yet its implementation in schools is increasingly being questioned. In many cases, character education is still delivered in a normative manner, focusing on moral slogans, written rules, and formal statements rather than lived experiences. This approach raises concerns about whether students truly internalize character values or merely recognize them as abstract concepts.
The gap between theory and practice becomes evident in daily school interactions. While values such as respect, honesty, and empathy are frequently emphasized in classrooms, they are not always reflected in students’ behavior or in the broader school culture. Instances of verbal conflict, exclusion, and insensitive behavior suggest that character education has not been fully translated into consistent actions within the school environment.
One of the main challenges lies in how character education is integrated into learning activities. When character development is treated as a separate subject or an additional requirement, it tends to lose its relevance in students’ everyday experiences. Without meaningful opportunities to practice positive values through interaction, reflection, and real-life situations, character education risks becoming symbolic rather than transformative.
Teachers also face constraints in turning character education into concrete practice. Heavy administrative workloads, academic performance pressures, and limited professional development opportunities often restrict teachers’ capacity to model and reinforce character values consistently. As a result, character education may remain superficial, lacking the depth needed to influence students’ attitudes and behavior.
To address this issue, character education must move beyond normative frameworks and be embedded into the daily life of schools. This requires deliberate efforts to align policies, teaching practices, and social interactions with the values being promoted. When character education is experienced through authentic relationships and consistent role modeling, it has the potential to shape students’ character in meaningful and lasting ways.
