Selective Empathy | Food systems left out of classroom ethics

By Richa Mehta

Recently, I visited my daughter’s school for its annual science fair. The school proudly announced that it aligned with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, which seeks to move beyond rote learning and nurture ‘good human beings’ with sound ethical grounding. The policy emphasises empathy, critical thinking, environmental awareness, and inclusion — foundations of a society that values compassion and co-existence.

Yet the fair also raised an uncomfortable question about how these values are being translated into classrooms.

Two stalls stood side-by-side. One displayed a ‘biodiversity park’, encouraging students to protect wildlife and celebrate nature. The next presented farmed animals simply as components of the food system, without any discussion of their welfare or the ethical questions surrounding them.

This contrast reflects a broader pattern in value education today. Children are encouraged to care for wildlife, rescue stray animals, and respect pets. But the animals that form part of everyday diets rarely feature in conversations about ethics, empathy, or responsibility.

This omission matters because the realities of modern food systems are increasingly complex. Reports and investigations into India’s dairy sector, for instance, have documented practices such as prolonged tethering and restricted movement in some farming systems. Yet these conditions rarely enter classroom discussions about animals or sustainability.

Part of the challenge lies in how value education is currently framed. The NEP encourages schools to integrate ethical thinking across subjects rather than treat it as a standalone discipline. In theory, this approach allows values to be embedded throughout the curriculum. In practice, it often translates into a few textbook references, an annual assembly theme, or isolated classroom discussions.

Without clearer frameworks and teacher training, value education risks becoming symbolic rather than substantive.

This gap can produce a form of selective empathy. Students learn to protect certain animals while remaining largely unaware of the conditions in which others live. The issue is not about assigning blame to children or schools; rather, it reflects the limitations of how ethical reasoning is currently introduced within the education system.

A more consistent approach to empathy also matters for understanding broader environmental and public health challenges. Food systems are closely tied to climate change, land use, water consumption, and rural livelihoods. Globally, livestock production contributes significantly to agricultural greenhouse gas emissions, yet climate lessons in classrooms often focus primarily on smokestacks, fossil fuels or plastic waste.

Without examining the environmental footprint of food systems, students receive only a partial understanding of sustainability.

Equally important is the question of interconnected thinking. Food systems sit at the intersection of agriculture, ecology, economics, and ethics. Discussions about farming practices, supply chains, animal welfare, and dietary choices can help students appreciate how everyday decisions connect with larger environmental and social outcomes.

Such conversations need not be prescriptive. Schools are not the place to dictate what students should eat or what choices families should make. But education can provide the tools for thoughtful inquiry: How are animals raised in different farming systems? What welfare standards exist, and how do they vary? How do food production methods influence environmental outcomes?

Introducing these questions would allow value education to move beyond symbolic compassion toward more meaningful engagement with real-world systems.

NEP 2020 represents an important step toward holistic education. Its vision of nurturing ethical and responsible citizens reflects a growing recognition that academic learning alone is insufficient to prepare young people for the challenges ahead.

If empathy, sustainability, and critical thinking are to become genuine pillars of education, value education must move beyond occasional references, and engage more seriously with the systems that shape everyday life — including the food systems on which society depends.

Encouraging students to explore these questions with nuance and curiosity would strengthen the NEP’s broader ambition: to cultivate citizens who are not only knowledgeable, but also reflective, responsible, and capable of engaging thoughtfully with the ethical complexities of the modern world.

Richa Mehta is Director of Programs - Asia Pacific, Vegan Outreach.

Disclaimer: The views expressed above are the author's own. They do not necessarily reflect the views of DH.