FROM MORAL DECLINE TO NATIONAL REBIRTH: RE-ENGINEERING YOUTH ETHICS EDUCATION FOR DIGITAL CITIZENSHIP

65–74

Abstract

In recent years, moral decline among youth has emerged as a critical concern, marked by rising cases of cybercrime, cultism, examination malpractice, disrespect for authority, and widespread ethical erosion. These trends have not only threatened the moral fabric of society but have also posed significant challenges to national development and cohesion. This paper examines the conceptual clarification of major termsas used in the paper, elements of digital citizenship, indicators of moral decline among youth, re-engineering youth ethics education and digital citizenship as a tool for ethics education. It concludes by stating that national rebirth must be driven by re-engineering of youth ethics education through the strategic integration of digital citizenship. The paper proposes a restructured educational model that incorporates contextualized curriculum development, interactive pedagogy, teacher training, and whole-school culture as vehicles for moral renewal. It was suggested that policymakers, educators, and civil society actors, advocating for the institutionalization of digital ethics in education to create a Morally Upright, Digitally Competent Generation Capable Of Driving National Rebirth.