Education - Why the traditional 3 Rs must become the 4 Rs.

A Cape Town school teacher was invited to present the concept of Humane Education to a United Nations Forum on Sustainable Development in New York on September 7, 2006.

"The development of empathy in learners is vital for human security and sustainable development," said Vivienne Rutgers, who has spent the last three years helping to align Humane Education with the National Curriculum in South Africa. "I am totally convinced that the inculcation of ethics and values in society has fallen on the shoulders of educators, like myself, and it is something we dare not shrug off."

"I do not believe that we can solve violence in our society with high fences and razor wire. If we are to fight violence effectively, we will have to reach into the hearts of learners and develop that vital quality called 'empathy'."

 "That is why the traditional 3 Rs must become the 4 Rs - Reading, 'Riting, 'Rithmatic and Respect for all life."