MRAVNÁ VÝCHOVA V ŠKOLÁCH NA SLOVENSKU A V ZAHRANI ČÍ

moral education and pedagogy. We attempted to provide an input into discussion on this topic as well
as to provide inspiration for Slovak environment with Premeny etickej výchovy v európskom kontexte
(Changes of Ethical Education in the European Context) - the first monograph of the kind that was
published in 2008. The monograph contains a chapter providing basic outlines of a conceptual
discussion that took part in the USA in 1921 – 2006. Its main aim is to provide relevant information on
the issue of moral education outside Europe, where the “moral and values crisis” has been discussed
for several decades. (POLIACH, V.: 2008, s. 229 et seq.)
On the basis of our up-to-now findings, surveys and experience of a relevant grant project it seems that
the basic intersection point of problems where the pros and cons of the current ethical education
concept in Slovakia and also of equivalent disciplines in selected European countries meet is the
widest dimension of educational processes, i.e. the social (societal) level. In context of the globalizing
European (in a simplified way worldwide) development these fundamental connotations of basic
ethical (moral) education concepts are outlined:
a) historic-cultural, ideological, political and economic determinants,
b) educational theoretical concepts and actual school (educational) practice in relevant regions and
countries,
c) terms structure, basic aims and contents of ethical (moral) education. (See KORIM, V.: 2008)
A special phenomenon that is becoming more and more important, and whose basic outlines only
started to appear in the period of creation of ethical education concept in Slovakia, is the general moral
and values crisis. The crisis is today visible also in Slovakia. It has been scientifically documented in
the survey research of professor Juraj Schenk. He used the questionnaire method to interpret
respondents´ opinions on the most significant manifestations of anomie in Slovak society. Due to its
relevance to our topic, we present six most frequent manifestations of anomie:
1. An individual never gets justice.
2. There are not any clear and exact rules valid in this society.
3. Majority of people seek fortune recklessly.
4. If an individual needs help, they never get it.
5. People believe in nobody and nothing.
6. Children, the weak and the ill do not receive enough care. (SCHENK, J.: 2004)
The co-author of the ethical education concept in Slovakia, Mgr. Ladislav Lencz, states in connection
with this research that these manifestations of anomie are expressions of the missing pro-social
behaviour of people in public life. I agree only partially as there are several reasons for the state of the
Slovak society and some of them are stronger than just absence of pro-sociality.
I think that in the present state of knowledge of the ethical (moral) education issue, several topics can
be determined in terms of its profile, practice and needs of pedagogical research:
1. Analysis of the current concept and state of the subject ethical education in Slovakia and the EU.
2. Basic factors, motives and circumstances of creation of the subject (or its equivalents) and its
introduction into the education in Slovakia and the EU.
3. Analysis of aims and curricula of ethical (moral) education and its equivalents in Slovakia and the
EU.
4. Competencies of teachers and preparation of future teachers of ethical (moral) education or of its
equivalent disciplines in Slovakia and the EU.
5. Quality of methods, procedures, forms and means of ethical (moral) education (and its equivalent
disciplines) and their connection with practical life of school, family, public and society (civic
participation) (in Slovakia and the EU).
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