ETHICAL AND VALUES EDUCATION: RE-ENGINEERING FOR SUSTAINABLE NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Abstract

Ethics and values education (EVE) is a strategic national development imperative. It plays a pivotal role in fostering responsible citizenship, ethical leadership, social cohesion, political stability, and sustainable national development. Drawing on Moral Development Theory (MDT), Values-Based Education Theory (VBET), and Sustainable Development Theory (SDT), this paper critically examines the nexus between ethics, values education, and national development, highlighting their synergistic potential and the urgent need for re-engineering to meet 21st-century realities. It argues that instilling core values such as integrity, empathy, accountability, transparency, and respect can strengthen institutional trust, reduce corruption, enhance governance, and promote economic growth, among others. The paper identifies significant challenges that undermine EVE implementation in Nigeria. However, these challenges present opportunities for curriculum reforms, technology integration, teacher capacity building, community participation, and experiential learning approaches. The paper recommends prioritising EVE in national development policy agendas, institutional reforms, and valuebased pedagogy to reposition education as a transformative tool for sustainable national development. It concludes that the future of Nigeria largely depends on the values instilled in its youths today; thus, urgent action is required to move beyond rhetoric to practical implementation of re-engineered ethics and values education.