Today, schools in India have become so involved in teaching theoretical subjects and then testing their knowledge of classroom theory. The education system that was adopted from British rule is still working, but change is also essential. These days schools are so busy cramming technology into students’ heads that they have forgotten the importance of teaching basic life skills to students.
There are many other benefits of having a life skills class and why everyone should consider taking it at least once. There is no fixed list of skills kids need in life, but any skill that helps us live our lives better is considered a life skill, such as learning to drive, swimming, or cooking.
These are the skills needed in life, along with education. These activities are more practical as we need to do them daily except swimming, which is more physical sports activity.
Some skills that school must teach:
Emotional intelligence:
Understanding how others think and feel is fundamental to maintaining relationships, personal and professional. Society is incredibly diverse, with people’s emotions varying all the time. Schools sometimes assume all their pupils are the same and treat them equally, which is good and evil; people need to connect to otherwise. Skill-based education also empowers students. It makes them financially more confident. It provides them with all the emotional strength required. For kids showing enough emotional intelligence as a part of life skills is a sign of maturity.
Critical thinking:
People generally forget about critical thinking and analyzing what is right and what is wrong from their own perspective, not from any other person’s perspective. The research was conducted in school, and students were asked to think of a topic to write about. Hardly any of them were able to do this. It amazed everyone that such a simple thing would be so difficult for them to do, but the problem was that they lack analytical skills.
There is little time for teaching children how to research and analyze, know the difference between fact and opinion, and similar skills that show them how to use their minds in productive ways. As a result, we have produced a society that is made up mostly of individuals who do not know how to think for themselves. As a result, they open the way for people to manipulate and use them for their own purposes. Schools should encourage students’ critical thinking skills through various interacting activities and games to encounter such things.
Mental Health:
There are enormous measures of debate today about emotional wellness. Many mental illnesses are found common in today’s generation, like ADHD, Schizophrenia, and many more. So to overcome this, schools should organize some programs to teach students about this severe issue. We should begin putting more emphasis on teaching students emotional wellness so our people in the future can live more joyful and satisfying lives and accomplish what they are able to do.
Financial skills:
In most countries, schooling is compulsory for children of a certain age. The general syllabus includes Mathematics, English, and Science. These subjects are considered core to life. But I have personally not used Pythagoras’s Theorem once but manage my finances by myself. So, financial education is also an essential skill for students to learn in their schooling days, so they know the importance of saving, making their own budget, and knowing the basics of how to read financial statements.
In the future, if they face any financial problem, they can tackle it easily. Being financially literate doesn’t require any degree or exam, just basic knowledge of the financial statements, assets, liabilities, how to manage our income, some banking terms which a significant population learn late in their life after school through experience.
We teach students skills and knowledge on how to earn money but not about how to grow our money. Becoming wealthy and remaining wealthy are completely contrasting lines. Staying affluent requires proper financial education, which is the need of the hour. Financial education is one of the essential aspects of life and a career that requires the right intelligence and the ability to understand money structure.
Daily living skills:
Many of our young people don’t know things that help them to get through life, such as how to:
- open a bank account,
- change a tire,
- cook a meal or
- sew on a button.
Schools need to teach these and similar things but aren’t doing it. Therefore, it will be up to students to learn them as they go, which is a tough way to get these skills. These essential skills should be added to the school’s curriculum to enhance students’ practical implementation. The application of knowledge creates interest and helps them to grow.
