UNDENIABLY Guyana has made significant strides in infrastructure, housing, agriculture, health, education and there has been steady growth of the national economy. This means more and better health and educational and housing facilities are now available to a wider range of the population; communications through better roads are available; and we now produce in greater abundance and a wider variety. In fact, with respect to the latter, we are now self-sufficient in food production and we export and from current trends our exports will continue to be on the upswing.
So there is no doubt that we are making progress in almost every sector, but these are all in the material sphere of life.
However, true human development involves both material and moral/spiritual development. So how well are we doing in the latter? Judging by events and happenings in many of our communities, it would seem that we are not faring too well in this regard, and in reality we are probably faced with a serious decline in moral standards, especially among the younger sections of the populace.
It is so common to hear youngsters use the foulest of language, even in the presence of adults. You could even hear policemen using such language even at the police stations. Courtesy, kindness, respect for elders, proper manner of speech etc have all nearly disappeared. The old adage of “quiet speech is a mark of refinement” has gone through the window; abuse of women and children. The list of immoral behavior that has unfortunately enveloped our society could go on and on.
Maybe in our instinctual drive to uplift ourselves materially the focus on moral development gets lost, which results in a gain on one side of the scale of human development but a loss on the other side of the scale. So in reality is there truly a gain in human development?
Moral decline has even permeated religious bodies and organisations, as only recently there were several scandals involving leaders of a certain denomination of a large religious organisation.
Arresting moral decline is never going to be an easy task because it is  highly subjective and is caused by a complexity of  issues including socio-economic, sociological, domestic, psychological/emotional etc. And in today’s world of crime, drugs, prostitution etc, which some try to justify as a way of life, the task becomes even greater.
But ever so often we are fully aware of what the problem is. The challenge however, is to find the solution for it. Perhaps that is the propelling force of life-the continuous popping up of problems and challenges and working towards their resolution.
However, while arresting moral decline is not an easy task, we have to begin somewhere and the best place to begin is the home, the education system and the community. These have been the traditional institutions of society that are actually the foundation of our moral fabric.
Of course role models are playing their part as well and therefore national and community leaders, religious leaders, teachers etc have to be morally upright and set an example to society.
It was heartening that President Jagdeo, in his address to the Diwali celebration at LBI touched on the importance of the community in helping to protect our children. He is so right. The first “police “in any country is the community.
He also made an extremely pertinent point in that these celebrations must not be seen as a superficial observance, but should encompass the underpinning philosophies and strictures. 
Of course the education system and schools also naturally have a pivotal role as well. An article in the publication, The Houston notes: “Character education programmes teach students how to be good citizens and develop aspects of decision making. Effective character education programmes affect the student’s ability to be socially and personally responsible. Holloway (2006) identifies the fact that character education promotes core ethical values, creates a caring school community, and engages the staff as a learning community that instills morals.”
“In order for a school community to work well, the members must be aware of expectations. The principal is significant in building trust among the community. Principals lay the foundation for respect and personal regard. The actions of the administrator contribute to a positive learning environment in the school. There must be equal treatment among the different student groups. There should be a common link for success among all groups.”
“Principals must understand the importance of creating an effective learning community. There must be an open line of communication between the principal and stakeholders.”
Arresting moral decline is not an option; it is an imperative.