English (Paper-I).

2008

would like to speak in favour ot the

to() Worthy Teachers_and dear friends, I
is as important as Moral Science
topic 'No other subject taught school
in
-

basis of man's character. He may occupy any big

position in
Morality is the or
hold high office in life, but if he is morally bankrupt
SOciety, may any In this
honour and status sooner than later.
suspect, he is bound to lose his be
as the subject taught
in school cannot
way the importance of moral science of other
on the teaching
denied. But it is sad that too much emphasis is laid
to the
and sciences in schools and almost no attention is given
subjects applied
inculcation of moral values like truth, honesty, patience, charity, etc.
The child is the father of the man. It means the first lessons or impressions
learnt or gained in early childhood go a long way in moulding his
shaping or

personality. As the child is the future leader and architect of the society and
the nation, it is essential that he is caught when very young before corrupting
influences of the world begin to vitiate his mind. Gandhiji rightly believed
that the training of the soul is even more important than teaching subjects o

study. According to this training of the soul can be best given by a

Gandhiji,
teacher to his pupil. Children learn by watching the behaviour of the elders
around. So, a teacher can influence the character of his student even sitting
miles away from him. A teacher can easily inspire the pupils with his exemplary
self-discipline and moral soundness. Moreover, celebration of days like
grandparents day, visits to old age homes or orphans can help the young
mind imbibe the virtues like sympathy and sacrifice and deeds of philanthropy.
The world is too much with us. We remain engrossed in gaining material
prosperity, trying to buy all the comforts and amenities of life. But at what
cost ? We are making a very bad bargain. We indulge in all mean activities
throwing our morals to the wind. Can we expect the young one to follow a
path of virtue and simplicity if we ourselves follow the dictates of the Devil or
Satan. In this materialistic world, the essence of true life has eroded somewhere.
But can we evade our responsibility of inspiring life based on noble principles
of high thinking and simple living ? That way moral science is not only a
subject but the only subject to be taught in the school. The school curriculum
should be so designed that teaching of moral science is made the basis of all
learning. Rather than simply stuffing the brains with the dry facts of the
universe and of science without their relevance or application in life, students
should be given education on morality and
goodness. They should be taught
the ethics and aesthetics, about God and God's holy plan of unity between
man and man and his universe. The spirit of humanism, that we all are the
children of the same Almighty Father, should be fostered. No men are toreign,
we are all the brethren. Charity, tolerance, forgiveness, amity should be the
objective of true education. The benefits of science can be best reaped if we
become citizens of the world and learn to live in co-existence and cooperation.
The clouds of impending war and its dire consequences will no longer threaten
the world if morality and self-sacrifice taught by moral teachers and scientists
8 Evergreen ICSE 10 Years Solved Papers

become our watchwords. I would like to echo the sentiments expressed by

John Keats who remarked that Beauty is Truth. Likewise I would say moral
science is all that we need to teach in the schools. It should have an edge over
all other subjects. Thank you.

(i) AGAINST THE MOTION:

Friends, I stand before you to contradict the statement "No other subject taught
in school is as important as 'Moral Science'. I would rather emphasise the

point that knowledge is big power and this power comes through learning not
merely Moral Science but all other subjects even more seriously and intensively.

Subjects like geography will unfold the mysterious of the different regions on
the globe. The study of applied sciences like Maths, Chemistry, Physics, Biology
will unravel the vast potentialities that can enrich our life and resolve many
mysteries about the atom and element, land and sky, stars and planets.
Whereas not much effort is required to learn ethics and morality, much mental
labour is involved in learning subjects dealing with different branches of
learning. Moral Science teaches us about moral good or bad which can be
learnt spontaneously and instinctively by watching the behaviour of the
elders-teachérs, parents and the great personalities we come across daily.
Too much didacticism is never productive and does not have much healthy
influence on the young minds when they find a big gap between what is
preached and what is actually practised in the world. People put on a sheep's
clothing but act as wolves within. In this way if Moral Science is given more
importance it will not make the students knowledge hungry. When a herculean
labour is invólved in learning about the universe in which we live, much more
labour and knowledge is required to know what is beyond the universe. In
this way, the study of subjects like Physics and Chemistry and even Biology is
of more importance than Moral Science.
Just imagine what our life would have been without Applied Science ? Could
Moral Science alone provide us all
luxuries and
amenities we are
these days ? The great advancement in technology in conquering time and
enjoying
space has been possible because much more emphasis is being laid on the
study of science. Now Environmental study 1s being given more importance

and it is made compulsory subject at all levels of school education. The global
warming is threateningly increasing Pong uumagirnable danger to our hard-
gained advancement in civilisation. More and more stress is being laid on
protecting
gained aavathe environment and saving the fast depleting resources for our
coming generations.
Man's march higher and higner ladaer of civilization will remain
to
unhampered only if he keeps himselr aDreast with the
copes with it on the strength of
changing scenario and
knowieuge which
against any eventuality. The harmonious development ofempowers him to fight
possible with equal emphasis on the study of all student's personality
a
can be
subjects, not
becoming