A recent survey, ‘The Voices Survey,’ conducted by Life Skill Collaborative in collaboration with Breakthrough, Quest Alliance, and Pratham, reveals that only around four out of every 10 surveyed youth in India have heard of the term ‘life skills’ or ’21st-century skills.’ The survey covered 15,856 youth, 13,806 parents, and 2,366 school teachers across 11 districts.
The term ’21st-century skills’ encompasses a set of abilities crucial for success in the modern world, including critical thinking, creativity, digital literacy, and cultural awareness. The survey indicates that older youth (age 19-22) are more likely to be aware of life skills compared to their younger counterparts (age 14-18).
Youth with more years of education, greater access to mobile phones, and educated parents were found to be more familiar with life skills. Despite variations in awareness, gender did not significantly impact the results.
The survey suggests that, even when youth reported knowing about life skills, they often referred to vocational skills or other everyday skills. For instance, while intangible skills like relationship management and coping with stress were considered life skills by around 90 percent of youth, tangible skills like cooking and cycling were also perceived as life skills by about 80 percent of respondents.
In terms of specific life skill terms, ‘resilience’ and ‘critical thinking’ stood out as less familiar to the surveyed youth. The study highlights the importance of initiatives that provide opportunities for young people to understand and acquire life skills.
Despite awareness gaps, the majority of youth and their parents rely on the education system to teach life skills. Teachers were identified as the most common source of information for those familiar with life skills (65 percent), followed by school books (36 percent).
While 86 percent of surveyed youth believed they could learn life skills in their school or college, 75 percent of parents shared this belief. However, the study indicates that teachers may have some confusion about the components of life skills, with 60 percent considering life skills, soft skills, and moral education as synonymous.
This survey sheds light on the need for comprehensive initiatives to integrate life skills education into the public education system, emphasizing its crucial role in preparing individuals for the challenges of the 21st century.
