The Centre Directors delivered presentations at the 48th Association for Moral Education (AME) Annual Conference which took place between 20 th – 23 rd July 2022 at Manchester Metropolitan University, UK. The theme and title of the conference was ‘Moral Education and Moral Development in Global Transition.’ The conference was hosted in celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Journal of Moral Education and in collaboration with the Asia-Pacific  Network for Moral Education.

In his welcoming message, the joint Conference Chair and Chair of Journal of Moral Education Trust, Professor James Conroy stated that “as we confront the enormous political, cultural, economic and social challenges that have emerged from financial turmoil, the pandemic, social unrest and political instability, there has rarely been a time when our deliberations on moral education have been more important and prescient.” The AME President, Professor Doret De Ruyter affirmed that hosting of the in-person conference after 2 years of the COVID 19 pandemic and virtual conferences will “help us to rebuild the collegial spirit by providing a physical space where old academic friends can meet and newly members quickly feel to be part of the community.”

The conference brought together researchers, practitioners and activists who engaged in critical, academic dialogue in order to understand the relevance of social, political, religious and cultural interactions with philosophy, psychology, sociology, and moral education at this time of global transition.

The discussions were spurred by questions such as:

• Is ethical sensitivity in teaching culturally bound?
• How do public and private values inform a social ethos of moral responsibility, agency, and citizenship, and can they do so across cultural borders?

The conference garnered a series of speakers to explore the ‘politics of moral education’ and how current moral education practices guide civic engagement and pedagogy towards public good. For instance, Dr. Kirsi Tirri delivered the Kohelberg Memorial lecture on ‘the Moral Teacher in a Global Transition “Educating students for their purpose calls for purposeful teachers,” she said. She emphasized on the need of raising moral citizens who are well equipped with the 21st Century skills by teaching all components of morality through the combination of excellence with ethics.
During the conference, Peter Kingori presented a paper on the ‘promoting virtue development among students’ based on his current work of engaging schools to implement the Cultivating Virtues in Leaders (CViL) project. Dr. Mwangi presented a paper on ‘the nexus between provision of Character Education and the effectiveness of student councils in public secondary schools in Kenya.’

He emphasized that Character education is attributed to the ability of student councils to pacify potential students’ unrests, provide a healthy link between students and the school administration, and above all foster a sustainable positive school climate. More information about the conference can be found here.

Compiled by Dr. Boniface Njuguna Mwangi, PhD-CCL Board Member and a Senior Lecturer at Africa Nazarene University, Nairobi, Kenya.