Every next moment in life may be a surprise or even a shock. Life Skills for Students need to be prepared to make meaningful decisions when it comes to facing these moments and taking further actions.
English, Maths, Science and Art, History, Geography, Music, and Dance – Are these preparing our students to face the challenges of everyday life and make them ready to be problem solvers and decision-makers?
While Our Academic Skills are important and essential for students, these need to be topped up with life skills to make them lifelong learners who are independent to deal with challenges, as individuals and as parts of professional and social setups.
The complete ecosystem benefits from the introduction of skills into the education system.
The individual
Any change to the bigger picture in society comes from bringing changes to yourself and embracing changes around you.
Life skills prepare an individual to be focused on self and practice concentration. These help an individual to manage their own state of mind and become flexible in making choices of strategies that help them identify their strengths and weaknesses.
Becoming self-aware – Developing on strengths and mending on weaknesses leads to the ability to adapt to situations and manage self and surroundings. The right skills help one to identify trends and forecast the possibilities of trying to generate new ideas for coming up with innovative solutions. It is when the individuals are on the right paths the next steps of evolution happen.
The professional space
Having developed as individuals, the students move to professional spaces which need their contributions as holistic individuals and team members who can manage the dramatic changes in the global economies. Having the right exposure to the right skills at the right time leads to success in professional spaces by being able to manage self, manage teams, by being open-minded to accept and respect others’ ideas and develop agility and adapt to different working environments. Skills help individuals to lead and influence.
The social space
The meaningful survival of an individual and any of these skills work best in a social setup. One can produce effective outcomes in a social setup that needs interaction and communication with others. The life skills that one carries as life long learner, allow one to connect with those who bring out the best in oneself and hence enhancing deeper and meaningful relations. Better relations lead to a peaceful society and a peaceful world that is set up on the idea of mutual respect and intercultural understanding. When individuals are self-aware and sensitive about social issues, social turmoil can be avoided. A sane social environment is what we all crave.
The framework of running an ecosystem that is stable in nature lies in the inclusion of life skills in the teaching system. The benefits of life skills are manifold, inculcating and enhancing these from early childhood are useful for a smooth ride in the journey of a roller coaster life.
Ruchira
