Published on Jan 14, 2013
I WAS heartened to read the letters by the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals ("Good to have animal welfare module in schools: SPCA"; last Thursday) and Mr Winston Chin ("Teach kids about kindness to animals"; last Tuesday) that rightly pointed out the need to teach our younger generation to be kind to and respect animals.
As the SPCA puts it, this is the first step in teaching them empathy and compassion, as well as building moral character and a greater sense of responsibility and civic-mindedness.
I would go one step further and urge the Ministry of Education, during its process of developing the new Character and Citizenship Education syllabus, to consider the possibility of teaching our children the importance of treating our environment in a responsible manner as well, for a more holistic form of education.
Perhaps there could be a "Respect our living environment" module that comprises care for animals and plants, and sustainable living. Sustainable living would teach children ways of living that safeguard the environment, such as how to manage household waste so that most of the refuse can be recycled or used to generate energy.
My friend, who recently left for Sweden for half a year, mentioned that people over there pursued a lifestyle that took great pains to reduce every individual's use of the earth's natural resources. I am inspired by it and I believe that with the right conditions, Singaporeans will be able to achieve this too.
Low Pei Han (Ms)
