Teachers as moral agents in smart education: strengthening ethical and sustainability values among Muslim students in Singapore

Abstract This article examines the role of teachers in strengthening akhlāq (ethical character formation) and sustainability values within the Smart Education framework for Muslim students in Singapore. Smart Education is often framed in technocratic terms as data-driven, adaptive, and efficiency-oriented learning, which may marginalize ethical, spiritual, and ecological dimensions of education. In a meritocratic and highly digital educational environment, Muslim minority students face academic pressure, technological dependency, and value-identity challenges. This study employs a qualitative conceptual-analytical approach grounded in an Islamic worldview, particularly the concepts of khalīfah fī al-arḍ (human stewardship of the earth) and maqāṣid al-sharīʿah (the higher objectives of Islamic law), as normative foundations for value-based sustainable education. The analysis draws on contemporary Smart Education literature, Islamic educational philosophy, and the socio-educational context of Singapore. The findings indicate that teachers hold a strategic role not merely as digital facilitators but as value leaders who cultivate akhlāq , guide digital ethics, and foster ecological responsibility. Teachers function as mediators between technological advancement and the ultimate aims of education, namely the formation of knowledgeable, ethical, and socially responsible individuals. The article argues that Smart Education oriented toward akhlāq can serve as a civilizational educational model rather than merely a technical modernization project.