Moral education,ubuntu and ubuntu-inspired communities

While it is generally believed that moral education is important in the development of children, there is disagreement over a range of issues concerning the teaching of values and morals in schools. In the forefront of this debate are issues concerning whether morality or values and morals can be taught in schools, ought to be taught, and how they should be taught. In this paper I want to focus on the last of the issues within the background of ubuntu. My broad interest is to stimulate discussion regarding whether ubuntu, ubuntu-inspired communities, and some of its values can contribute to the issue of the teaching of values and morals. In the process of my engagement with moral education and ubuntu, I can be taken to be offering ubuntu and practices in ubuntu communities as an alternative way of teaching values and morals – values that are important for social and political citizenship.