What transpired struck me as a classic example of the failing educational system and parental ethos of educating our very young on appropriate civic and moral behaviour which, given what I observed over the 30 minutes of the MRT ride, seems to be headed on a downhill spiral. The girl, who appeared to be no more than eight years old, was sitting next to her mother and playing with a PSP when her mother drew her attention to an elderly woman nearby who clearly needed a seat.

Her mother then asked her nicely to give up her seat for the woman. What shocked me was the girl's reaction to this request and, subsequently, her mother's response to what happened. The little girl coolly glanced in the direction of the elderly woman, deliberated for a good five to six seconds, turned to her mother with a half-annoyed expression and blankly replied 'No need'. She then eagerly turned her full attention back to the game she was playing on her PSP.

Despite her mother's gentle urgings, the child continued with her game and repeatedly told her mother that what she was asking of her was unnecessary. Her mother then smiled nonchalantly, caressed her head and that was basically the end of the issue. I was flabbergasted by what unfolded before me in those five short minutes. Far from me, a single without children, to comment on child rearing, I was and still am nevertheless appalled by the lack of compassion shown by one so young and the cursory manner in which a parental figure addressed her child's calculated indifference towards another individual in need. In all fairness, I have to state that I was, of course, not within earshot to hear exactly what the mother said to her daughter, but one point was clear: The little girl did not give up her seat to one who clearly needed it much more than she did when the fact was pointed out to her and she was 'rewarded' for her selfish behaviour. She was able to continue playing her game undisturbed and both mother and child bantered happily as if the issue was never raised.

The crux of the issue here is not whether or not the elderly lady was soon reaching her destination. Rather, what should matter is the way in which the child and adult reacted to a simple situation of moral duty that should have resulted in the making of an obvious choice. That did not happen and that is the problem. Should it be any wonder then that teachers today feel that they are saddled with the impossible task of disciplining the younger generation when parents fail to adequately address simple, yet fundamental, issues such as this?

This was a small, but telling, incident. Perhaps, more attention should be paid on the moral growth of children at the primary school level as opposed to simply focusing on the academic aspect of their education. Character building should not have to take a backseat with respect to educating children of an impressionable age. After witnessing this incident, I certainly hope that moral education is still a core subject in primary schools today. If it isn't, then it clearly should be.

Apart from schools, parents need to realise that they are essentially the moral compasses of their children and no matter how insignificant a situation might seem, they should always be conscious of the responsibility they have in guiding their children to make the 'right' choices, which also include ethical ones. It would truly be a sad world if our future generation is academically brilliant but compassionately and morally deficient.

Deborah Low Yen Ling (Miss)