DEVELOPING ACTIVE CITIZENSHIP: THE ROLE OF 'TARBIYA' (MORAL EDUCATION) LESSONS IN SHAPING THE LEGAL CULTURE OF YOUTH

Abstract

The formation of a law-abiding, rights-conscious, and actively engaged citizenry is among the central objectives of contemporary educational policy in post-Soviet Central Asian states and across the broader developing world. This paper examines the pedagogical potential of “Tarbiya” (moral education) as a curricular instrument for cultivating the legal culture of youth in secondary and higher educational institutions. Drawing on sociological survey data, comparative educational policy analysis, and established frameworks from civic education scholarship, the study argues that properly structured “Tarbiya” lessons function not merely as a vehicle for value transmission but as an active site where students construct normative orientations toward law, rights, duties, and democratic participation. The paper further identifies structural weaknesses in existing “Tarbiya” curricula—including an overemphasis on compliance-based moral instruction and insufficient engagement with students' rights and legal agency—and proposes a competency-based, rights-oriented reform model aligned with international standards of civic education. Findings suggest that integrating legal literacy components into “Tarbiya” pedagogy significantly enhances students' capacity to engage constructively with legal institutions and to exercise active citizenship in pluralistic societies.