Tonga Moral and Academic Education

“Moral and academic education fosters life of service

In Tonga, the 30th anniversary of Ocean of Light school reflects on how moral and spiritual qualities can be cultivated alongside academic learning in a single endeavor.

NAKUʻALOFA, Tonga — Education, when understood simply as the amassing of information, falls short of helping young people reveal what is noblest within them: those moral and spiritual qualities that give knowledge its direction and its purpose. Over the past three decades, Ocean of Light International School, a Bahá’í-inspired educational institution, has been exploring how the cultivation of moral qualities and academic learning can be woven into a single educational endeavor. This was among the themes at the heart of a recent gathering of government officials, school administrators, teachers, and students and families marking the school’s 30th anniversary.”

Students performed a selection of songs in commemoration of the school’s 30th anniversary.

“We have striven over these years to create a school where knowledge acquisition is guided by moral and spiritual principles and learning is directed toward service to humanity,” said Taʻhirih Fifita Hokafonu, director of the school, during her address. Understood this way, she suggested, students come to see their efforts throughout their education as a means by which to contribute to the life of their families and communities.”

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Students taking part in science experiments and music activities.

All images copyright Bahá’í World News Service.