The writers, Mr. Isaac Nyarko Antwi (English Tutor, GES; Mentor) and Ms. Michealla Koduah (Final-Year Student, UEW; Mentee)
What does it really mean to be educated?
Is education simply the ability to read and write, obtain excellent grades, earn degrees and secure professional employment? Or should education go beyond academic achievement to shape the character, attitudes and relationships of the individual?
These questions deserve serious reflection, particularly at a time when some basic courtesies among young people appear to be becoming less consistent.
Words such as “please”, “thank you”, “excuse me” and simple greetings may appear insignificant, but they communicate something profound about how we recognise and value other people. Unfortunately, these simple expressions of courtesy are not always consistently practised by some students today.
This does not mean that today’s students are generally disrespectful. Many young people remain exceptionally respectful and well-mannered. However, there are occasions when a student collects something from a teacher without saying “thank you”, enters an office without greeting or addresses an adult with an excessively casual expression because of peer influence. In many cases, this may not be deliberate disrespect. It may simply be a habit that has not been properly cultivated.
This raises an important question: Can someone be highly educated academically and yet remain uneducated in character?
The answer deserves serious consideration.
Education must develop the whole person
Education should not merely fill the mind with information; it should also shape the person who possesses that knowledge.
A student may graduate with excellent results, obtain a university degree and eventually become a professional, but if that individual cannot communicate respectfully, appreciate the efforts of others or demonstrate basic courtesy, something important may still be missing.
Saying “please” teaches consideration. Saying “thank you” teaches appreciation.
These are not merely words. They are habits that contribute to the development of empathy, self-control, humility and responsible citizenship.
Academic competence without character therefore presents an incomplete picture of education.
The home remains the first classroom
Parents and guardians have a critical role to play in restoring a culture of courtesy.
The home is the child’s first school, and parents are the child’s first teachers. What children repeatedly observe and practise at home often becomes part of their behaviour outside the home.
Parents can teach courtesy through simple everyday routines. Children can be encouraged to say “please” when making a request and “thank you” after receiving something, regardless of how small the favour may be. They can be taught to greet people appropriately in the morning and to respond respectfully when greeted.
More importantly, parents must model what they expect from their children.
Children learn not only from what adults tell them but also from what they see adults doing. A parent who speaks respectfully to children, neighbours, drivers, house helps and other members of society demonstrates a lesson that no textbook can adequately teach.
Conversely, if children constantly observe shouting, insults, impatience or dismissive behaviour at home, they may eventually reproduce those behaviours elsewhere.
Schools must deliberately teach character
Schools also have an important responsibility.
Although many schools continue to promote discipline, respect and good manners, the deliberate teaching of courtesy can sometimes be overshadowed by the pressure to improve academic performance. With the strong emphasis on examinations, extra classes and academic results, activities that contribute to character formation may receive less attention.
This deserves reconsideration.
Morning assemblies, devotion, guidance and counselling sessions, school clubs and communal activities can provide opportunities for deliberate character education. Courtesy should not only be discussed when a student misbehaves. It should be taught proactively, practised consistently and recognised when students demonstrate it.
Teachers can also lead by example. A teacher who greets students, says “please” and “thank you” and treats learners with dignity demonstrates the very behaviour expected from them.
Schools could even recognise students who consistently demonstrate respect, kindness and good manners. Such recognition would communicate that character is valued alongside academic achievement.
Social media has changed how young people communicate
We must also acknowledge the influence of social media and popular culture.
Platforms such as TikTok, Instagram and Facebook have created new forms of communication. Informal expressions, sarcasm and comedy can easily become normalised. Some young people may also feel that speaking too formally makes them appear old-fashioned or “local” among their peers.
The answer, however, is not simply to ban social media.
Young people need guidance to distinguish between communication that may be appropriate among peers and communication that is appropriate when addressing teachers, parents, elders and other members of society.
Digital etiquette should therefore become part of character education. Students should learn that respect matters not only when speaking face-to-face but also when communicating through WhatsApp groups, social media platforms and other digital spaces.
Courtesy is not old-fashioned
Courtesy should not be dismissed as an outdated value.
In a rapidly changing world, young people need academic knowledge, digital skills and professional competence. But they also need the ability to work with people, listen, appreciate others, disagree respectfully and communicate with dignity.
The workplace will demand these qualities. Families will need them. Communities will depend on them. Nations will benefit from them.
The responsibility, therefore, belongs to all of us.
Parents must model courtesy. Teachers must reinforce it. Schools must deliberately teach it. Communities must value it. Young people themselves must recognise that politeness is not weakness and respect is not backwardness.
Perhaps the question we should ask is not whether our children are educated, but what kind of education we are giving them.
If education produces brilliant minds without compassionate hearts, excellent certificates without humility and successful professionals without basic courtesy, then we must ask ourselves whether we have educated the whole person.
A truly educated person should know not only what to say, but also how to say it.
Sometimes, the evidence of education may be found in the simplest words:
Please. Thank you. Excuse me. Good morning.
