Life Skill Education: Enhancing Empowerment among Rural Primary School Children in Gujarat, India

Abstract

At a time when there is an unprecedented surge in reported cases of abuses against children in its all forms in India and the legal, social as well as educational system continue to fail in either protecting them or empowering them to face their challenges, it is essential to equip them to learn life skills because such initiatives provide the children with a variety of alternative and creative ways of solving problems of everyday life. In this study, the authors attempt to assess the changes witnessed among rural primary school children after three months of life skill education. Improvement in their communication, participation, perception, values, behaviour, and academic performance was included in the assessment areas. Activity-based participatory learning techniques like games, role plays, drama, drawing, and reflections were included in the modules of life skills, which were used in teaching them in a non-threatening atmosphere. The experiential learning method, which gives opportunities to the subjects to have a first-hand encounter with the phenomenon under consideration instead of simply imagining the situation or merely looking into the prospect of doing something about it, helped children to have a clear understanding about these life skills and its applicability in real-life situations. Reflective sessions after hearing, observing, and practicing each skill, enabled children to think loudly about their performances and understanding about each session. Children could learn a lot from others’ viewpoints, observations, and ideas too. Detailed narration with specific activities as well as games practiced, of each module of life skill education taught to children is included in this study. Results proved that there is an improvement in life skills among children in the areas of communication, participation, perceptions, and values after having life skill education.