The importance of developing Life Skills

Arjun Bahadur, Lead-Life Skills Collaborative, on the importance of life skills today, and why students need to develop them

Life skills are abilities that enable a person to navigate a range of life contexts with a sense of personal confidence, social conscience, and professional competence. They are developed through the use of processes that are inclusive and sensitive to individual, local and regional diversity.

“Different frameworks will define the term ‘life skills’ in slightly different ways. The term means skills needed to adapt to circumstances and successfully deal with challenges in life and thrive. Today, there is substantial evidence that life skills play a positive and important role in the development of young adults into responsible and empowered citizens. The pandemic has also highlighted the importance of resilience, social compassion, empathy, and perseverance,” says Arjun Bahadur, Lead-Life Skills Collaborative (LSC), which focuses on championing life skills for India’s young people through extensive on-ground outreach programmes.

The need to introduce Life skills education has also been recognised in the New Education Policy (NEP) 2020, which makes a pressing call for 21st-century skills to be taught in schools to help prepare the youth for the future. Focusing on building life skills in the next generation is imperative to enable them handle different situations capably. In a country like India, where a vast majority of the population is young, life skill development enables youngsters to direct and manage their lives positively.

A 2021 World Economic Forum study found that over 50% of employers listed problem-solving, collaboration, customer service, and communication as the most valued skills, points out Bahadur, to underscore the importance of life skills. These will enable children and young adults and allow them to unlock their true potential and make them strong, resilient, confident, and independent individuals.

Life Skills Education is gaining more prominence today, with the the Union and State governments beginning to prioritise the development of an ecosystem to improve quality of training. Programmes such as Education for Peace, YUVA School Life Skills Programme, among others, are also being looked into. Officially, 21 states have included life skills in their curriculum and there are now more than 10 national programmes. The establishment of the National Assessment Centre, PARAKH (Performance Assessment, Review, and Analysis of Knowledge for Holistic Development) reinforces the commitment to evaluate “higher-order skills, such as analysis, critical thinking and conceptual clarity”

Additionally, technology has made the world smaller and faster than ever before. So, youngsters also need to be digitally literate and require skills such as information synthesis, cognitive flexibility, and open-mindedness. Other requisites include social awareness, respecting diversity, and relationship management skills that span social and cultural diversities. Learning to learn will be a key skill to survive and adapt to a constantly changing and shrinking world.

“Over the years, Emotional Intelligence (EI) has come to be regarded as an essential quality not just for leaders, but for anyone who engages with people in a work or social setting. Unlike Intelligence Quotient (IQ), which focuses on intellectual knowledge, EI refers to an individual’s level of emotional understanding of self and other people. Individuals with high EI have essential skills that are needed to navigate life’s challenging situations and exhibit positive behaviour,” says Bahadur