There has always been an argument regarding talent being the catalyst for a person’s success rather than skill. The talent is a natural ability to do something, whereas skill is acquired based on passion.

For instance, as a small child, since childhood, you sing melodiously without any training; that’s your innate talent. However, consider a scenario where you wish to become a magnificent singer and get enrolled in music classes. Some might say, you don’t have a sweet voice, others might think you don’t have a good rhythm. But, you stay focused and continue to work on your interest, you will develop an unfathomable skill. Irreversible. This determination will take you far beyond someone that has inborn talent. According to some studies cited by famous authors like Malcolm Gladwell in his books – “The Tipping Point” and “Outliers”; it takes 10000 hours only to master any skill on this planet Earth. But, it is a theory, and some people are proving that it takes way lesser than that. The time it takes to learn a skill doesn’t matter as long as you have the inkling about your passion and determination to learn and improve. Here are some great examples of people that indeed have mastered the art of acquiring a skill and have proven that it matters more than the innate talent.

Giorgio Armani

While at secondary school, Armani aspired a career in medicine and enrolled in the University of Milan to pursue medicine. After three years, Armani left the studies and posted at the military hospital in Verona. During this time, Armani decided to choose a different career path. For the starters in 1957, Armani found a job as a window dresser at a department store in Milan. Then he became a salesman in the men’s wear department and gained valuable experience in the marketing aspect of the fashion industry. After doing it for some years, Armani moved to Nino Cerruti company and designed menswear. His skills were in huge demand, and while working in Cerruti, he also started freelancing and contributed designs to many manufacturers. In the late 1960s, he met with Sergio Galeotti who became his work partner. In 1973, Armani opened a design office and did collaborations with fashion houses to style and design clothes which provide him with an opportunity to gain experience and develop his style. In 1975, he founded Giorgio Armani Corporation with his friend, Sergio and presented his first collection of men’s ready to wear for Spring and Summer under his name. Armani introduced several product lines under his brand name, and his label became the top leading universally. He also designed clothes for more than one hundred films. And who doesn’t know about the lavish Armani watches and perfumes?

Does Armani’s career graph show that he had innate talent? No, he changed his career path and identified the one where he had an interest, eventually improvised his skill, experimented, manifested his confidence and took one substantial and risky step after another.

Brandon Stanton

Stanton majored in history from the University of Georgia in 2010. He started his career as a bond trader in Chicago. While working there, Stanton purchased a camera and started clicking photos of people on weekends as a hobby. When he lost his job in the same year, he decided to pursue photography full-time. He arranged some money from family & friends and moved to New York. Stanton created a page named ‘Humans of New York’ on Facebook and started posting pictures of the New Yorkers. After posting a woman’s photo along with the quote given by her, Stanton began adding captions and quotes to his photographs. Eventually, it evolved into full interviews which gave Stanton a story behind the photo. In 2013, his photobook was published with the same title and received good reviews. The book reached on the number one position and became the New York Times Best Non-fiction. In 2015, Stanton was invited to interview President Barack Obama.

Gunder Hägg

He was a Swedish runner and broke 15 world records in the 1940s. His father was a lumberjack, and he used to live with him in Northern Sweden. As a teenager, he loved running in the woods and eventually became curious to measure his speed. Gunder with his father mapped the 1500 metre long track, and while he ran on it, his father checked the time. Gunder’s father told that he completed the race in 4 mins and 50 seconds (considered a remarkable time), which led him to believe that he has a bright future as a runner. Eventually, Gunder started vigorous training and went on to become a premier runner. It happened because Gunder and his father shared a belief that he can hone his skill. However, many years later, Gunder’s father confessed that his actual time was 5 mins and 50 seconds – a time that wasn’t a unique sign of becoming a world-class runner. When asked about the reason, his father explained that he was worried about Gunder’s loss of passion and encouragement in running. And as we can see, the fact that Gunder’s father disinformation led him to believe in his abilities. 

The bottom line

Psychologist Benjamin Bloom and his colleagues conducted a study on a group of top performers in various field. They found that these people had at least one supportive family member who told them that they have a unique talent. When Benjamin observed the childhood of these performers closely, he found no evidence stating that these individuals had been superior to their peers, yet their parents believed in them, but isn’t that’s what most of the parents do? Then why doesn’t this phenomenon work for every child? The reason is – it is necessary to convince a child that he or she has an extraordinary talent, but the belief works when it is followed by strenuous training as happened in Gunder’s life.

As you can derive from the examples, the process is that the – parents who believe that their child is talented; they find a mentor to guide him through. The parents also supervise the child’s training. The child feels special when it gets the attention of parents, works extra hard and eventually, the practice pays off the reward in the form of a manifested skill. The child earns a reputation among peers, relatives, and the world believes that he or she always had a natural talent. Hence, as the book Peak: Secrets from New Science of Expertise also says, the innate ability has little to do with ultimate success. The secret ingredient to a person’s success lies in an individual’s contribution to deliberate practice.

“I have no special talent. I am just passionately curious.” – Einstein

As per Albert Einstein’s educational philosophy, education is not about learning facts, but training the mind for thinking about ideas. It is what remains after one has forgotten what he has learned in school. The ideal purpose of education should be to create the capacity of integrated learning and an ability to use the knowledge intelligently.

If we talk about the bigger picture, education works as a catalyst in reducing poverty, improving health, providing employment, eliminating gender inequality, and overall creating a sustainable planet. Along with skill development, education also helps in inculcating human values. 

Though the million-dollar question is – Are schools enough to bring the ideal purpose into reality? As students, as parents, as educators, do we strongly feel so?

Educational Psychology is vital in today’s complex education system as this branch designs new methods of learning for students (Sir Johann Herbart is the father of this field). And it emphasises on improving and inculcating the areas of social, emotional, and cognitive development as this is the need of the hour. As 21st-century educators, parents, in this widely diverse, global world, we need to have the life skills become an integral part of students’ education. We should be able to create a drive in the students and devise a curriculum that maximises their learning potential and allows them to explore untravelled paths. 

Education in India

History of an old Indian university system

Nalanda was the oldest university system in the world. The secular institutions, alongside monasteries, used to teach practical education such as medicine. Their curriculum also entailed Vedas, logic, Sanskrit grammar, and Samkhya (one of the six schools of Hindu philosophy). The university is located in Bihar.

While we were good at what we were doing in terms of providing the right and meaningful education that was pertinent to those times for our lifestyle, but when the British were ruling India, everything got transformed into corporate-level education.

They needed clerical people, administrative people, and hence they introduced English and started the corporate education system in India.

However, after about seven decades of freedom, did India improve its education system and make it pertinent to current needs?

Schools should motivate children to aspire their dreams

Sir Ken Robinson (author, speaker, and international advisor on education) once told in a session an instance from his life – Mr Paul McCartney was in the same school as him. However, he did not know him then. When Sir Robinson was writing his book ‘The Element: How Finding Your Passion Changes Everything,’ he interviewed many people. One of them was Paul McCartney – the English Singer and Co-lead vocalist of a band, The Beatles. 

During the interview, Mr Robinson asked Paul that if he enjoyed the music at school, to which he refused. He wondered if the music teacher in school ever gave him some hint about his unique talent. Paul refused. 

In the same music group, there was another person named George Harrison, the lead guitarist of The Beatles. So, Mr Robinson inquired from Paul if any music teacher praised George. Paul again replied with a no. 

The crux is that music class was filled with a lot of passionate musicians or half of the Beatles band, but there was nobody to recognise them.

Despite this, the education system is still the same.

Changes required in the Indian education system

It can’t be denied that the Indian government and institutions are working hard to introduce many positive reforms to the existing education model. However, a few issues which must be taken into consideration remain. These are:

Evaluation system based on a written exam

Marks/scores/grades still play a crucial role in deciding the brainpower of a child. Due to which the pressure of getting good marks remain high on them and often led to underperforming.

The evaluation of a student shouldn’t be done based on a three-hour theoretical exam. Instead, the marks should be given on class activities, participation in projects, communication, task completion, leadership skills, and extracurricular activities.

Lack of respect and equality to all streams

Often it has been noticed even in the 21st century that most parents don’t want their kids to choose any other subjects apart from Science and Maths. There is a myth that subjects like commerce and arts are easy to grasp and don’t need much effort to qualify. Along with that, the other misconception is – people who take these subjects aren’t intelligent enough. Therefore, it becomes a matter of respect.

The truth is if you like the subject you have chosen and are passionate about it, be it arts, humanities, commerce, communications, etc. you will succeed in life in terms of fame, money and making a valuable contribution to the society.

Rote learning

The significant portion of our education system is still based on rote learning. The students who can’t mug up are left behind. Hence, the inclusion of conceptual knowledge (understanding concepts with live examples) is necessarily required in our education system.

Absence of customised learning

Schools need to understand that a square peg can’t fit in a round hole, which means the mass education system may not work for everyone. Each student has its absorbing capacity and should be handled accordingly. Some students may learn fast, while others can’t. Thus, in a class, a teacher should focus on every student, which is humanely not possible. The solution can be the adaptation of technology such as Artificial Intelligence or Chatbots that can become the helping hand for the teachers and students in knowing where they need support, what subjects they are interested in, how they can learn difficult topics, etc.

The motive of education transformed 

The idea that stuck into parents’ minds because of colonial rule is that the real purpose of education is to earn money. But each one of us should understand that the real meaning of education goes beyond making money. All successful leaders of today have higher Emotional Quotient(balancing their emotions and thinking clearly in pressure) than Intelligence Quotient(pure logical brain). This statistic is precise and needs to be considered when imparting education to students.

The bottom line

Education is more than just a school textbook or a final term grade. It’s about sparking a passion that drives you forward in life and makes you the best possible version of your self. Effective education teaches you how to hone your mindset positively, improves your communication skills, and, most importantly, enables you to help others and become a good citizen.

As James Truslow Adams said –

“There are two educations; one should teach us how to make a living, and the other should teach how to live.” 

Hence, the ideal education should cover both the aspects – academic and lifestyle. Where academics is all about curiosity and gathering knowledge, lifestyle education should teach skills related to negotiation, facing failures, time management, and making an impact. 

How many of you like school? Or better to ask, which subjects you like the best? 

Have you ever wished that you were taught only your favourite topics elaborately in school? 

Are you a student who wishes that the teacher should take some more time with each concept so that you can have better clarity?

Or are you a student who likes school in general but wishes that you would have more time to play, draw and pursue other non-academic activities?

Many of these questions can pop up in your mind due to the ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach taken by most of the educational institutions nowadays. They offer a fixed curriculum to all students with a little leeway for any improvements.

Here is the crux – some of these issues can only be overcome by homeschooling the child.

What is homeschooling?

Did you know that several geniuses such as Thomas Edison, Alexander Graham Bell, Charles Dickens, Mark Twain and Albert Einstein were homeschooled? Interesting, isn’t it? 

Homeschooling, as the name suggests, involves teaching children at home rather than at a specific educational institution. 

This trend began in the late 20th century, in western countries, by parents who felt that children’s education was their right and not the government. The modern homeschooling movement was started in the 1970s by John Holt, an American teacher and leading education writer. He wanted to customise the curriculum as per the child rather than fitting a child into the curriculum.

The pros and cons 

Academic flexibility –

The curriculum can be designed based on the attitude and aptitude of a student. For instance, if the child inclined towards visual learning, a lot of video-based content can be used in a curriculum to help him grasp.

Parental control –

Since the parents know about their kid’s interest best, the schedule, grade level, learning model and in most places, even graduation requirements can be decided by them (after taking the legal aspects into account). This approach is especially useful in the case of gifted children with special needs (who have specific interest to a subject) or who are getting trained for advanced athletic pursuits (e.g. Olympics).

Efficient and meaningful learning – Since there is a low student-teacher ratio, time is utilised wisely. Your parents can assign you more time to play, outdoor activities, projects, hands-on experiments and for several other kinds of practical training.

Current needs meet immediately –

Since learning happens in a family environment, you feel secure, and all your mental, emotional, behavioural and physical health necessities can be taken care of immediately.

Family bonding increases –

You become close to your parents, learn their interests, imbibe their cultural/religious/social values when you find that they are willing to lend you an ear every time. You get to spend time with your relatives too, depending on the schedule.

Time for community works –

Your parents can also involve you in other activities such as community services, volunteering, and entrepreneurship, to hone your interactive skills.

Safe from negative behaviours –

You can also be sheltered from violence, drugs, peer pressure or other negative behaviours, which might be associated with traditional school life.

Scope of befriending like-minded –

Your parents may also collaborate with other families who prefers homeschooling to arrange joint sessions for enhancing the extent of learning and interaction, where interests or curricula coincide. 

Helpful in particular situations

– Homeschooling works very well in favour of families who belong to the military background, those who travel, or those adjusting to specific illnesses/allergies and unpredictable work schedules.

Scope of entering the mainstream is open

– For higher studies, homeschooled children can begin mainstream education by taking the appropriate certifying exams at an institution of their choice.

Despite so many advantages, homeschooling may not be for everyone. Here are some of the disadvantages:

• Though a lot of money is spent on various study materials for homeschooling, your parents might waste a lot of time in understanding what curriculum or method suits you best.
• Not all parents can teach well, and they may also lose patience with you more often than you expect.
• You might find it challenging to stay motivated all the time, since many times, your parents could spend more time than usual school hours with a motive of updating themselves along with you. But, extra tutoring in ‘difficult’ subjects can be helpful.
• As you will be around your parents the whole day, you may get bored in a homely atmosphere.
• As some lifelong friendships can be nurtured only in traditional school setups, you may miss out on those. However, as mentioned before, you may find a few like-minded friends amongst other homeschooled children.
• Your relatives or other children in the neighbourhood may not give equal respect to homeschooling as it is given to conventional schools. But, to keep yourself motivated, you can always take inspiration from successful personalities who were homeschooled.
• You may need to adjust to the fact that other children may know more about a particular subject that you haven’t even heard of. However, you can think this way – you need not have that information at this stage. For instance, Queen Elizabeth II, United Kingdom, was homeschooled as she had to learn all the legalities for handling a monarch title. During her childhood, she didn’t learn politics, current affairs, economy, etc. However, when the queen was crowned and began dealing with government matters, she acquired knowledge about those topics again at her home. And now she is the longest-reigning monarch in history.

Or, on the contrary, you may have a better grasp on your favourite subject as compared to the peers who attend a regular school.

The legal aspects

Some of the countries where homeschooling is permitted include Portugal, Ireland, Italy, Indonesia, India, Canada, Ireland, the United Kingdom, Norway, and the United States. 

On the contrary, in countries such as Germany, Turkey, Cuba, Croatia, Greenland, Greece, and Cyprus, homeschooling is banned, and public education is mandatory.

In Poland and Hungary, though homeschooling is legal, the laws are very restrictive. 

In countries where it is legal, the number of homeschooled children has been steadily increasing. In 2016, the U.S. Department of Education reported that nearly 1.69 million children were homeschooled. 

However, to make an informed decision, it is crucial to know about the advantages and disadvantages of homeschooling.

The bottom line 

Based on the aspects we mentioned above, no wonder many parents who are willing to commit themselves to their child’s holistic growth, are opting for homeschooling. Hence, the boom in homeschooling is expected to increase in the upcoming years.

However, irrespective of the style of education, imparting joyful learning is a prime responsibility of all the people involved, be it schools, parents or individual educators.

Did you know that a good night’s sleep can make all the difference to your next day? A restless night often leaves you feeling sluggish and tired whereas a deep and comfortable sleep makes you feel invigorated and ready to take on the world upon waking up.

Interestingly, our sleep routine has a lot to do with our childhood. What are some of your earliest remarkable memories of bedtime? Having a soothing bath, reading a book or listening to music? Researchers have found that having an excellent bedtime routine helps in calming the mind and ensuring a good night’s sleep.

For children, the singing of lullabies is one of the favourite ways of ‘winding down’ before going to sleep. Gentle songs sung by the parents or played on a portable speaker help children sleep into a deep slumber. Did you know lullabies have been scientifically proven to play an essential role in the overall development of the child besides having a soothing impact?

Some benefits of lullabies include:

• Faster normalisation of blood pressure and heartbeats caused by sudden movements or voices.
• Relieving the child’s tension and increasing drowsiness, rocking or patting the child while singing also adds to this impact.
• Use of simple melodies and repetitive words, improving the child’s ability to learn the language quickly.
• Salubrious communication between the mother and her baby; strengthening the mother-child bond.
• Making the child feel that the mother is always with him/her, increasing the feeling of safety while asleep.
• Stimulation of the perception centres in the baby’s brain, making the understanding of lullaby’s meaning easier.
• Passage of information about a variety of subjects to the child early in life. Some lullabies are improvised by referring to plants, objects, colours, routines, customs etc. enhancing the child’s ability to understand these things. For example, as a baby, did you know that stars twinkle and are visible in the sky? Your mother singing ‘Twinkle, twinkle, little star’ gave you this information!
• Laying the foundation for learning mathematical patterns by using various tones and rhythms.
• Assisting the child in developing a calmer personality.
• Conveying positivity since lullabies always wish for the child’s wellbeing making the child subconsciously feel comforted and loved.
• Since lullabies are never written down and passed on orally, they are traditionally passed on from each generation to the next, forming an everlasting rich bond.
• Lullabies thus act like a signal which tells your body to relax, let go of all the worries and go to sleep. Best of all, this practice can be started anytime! So if you haven’t had your parents sing to you so far, the time to start is now.

Follow these basic tips to get the most out of your lullaby:

• Create the right atmosphere: Darken the room and ensure that there are no intrusive gadgets around.
• Choose relaxing music: Classical tunes seem to work best, usually those with 60 beats/minute.
• Limit it to 30 minutes.
• Take it with you anywhere you go: Record your lullaby to help you sleep when you travel.

Try sleeping to lullabies and establish an enjoyable new routine!

School Education

• New Education policy envisages that the extant 10+2 structure in school education will be modified with a new pedagogical and curricular restructuring of 5+3+3+4 covering ages 3-18.

• Currently, children in the age group of 3-6 are not covered in the 10+2 structure as Class 1 begins at age 6. In the new 5+3+3+4 structure, a strong base of Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) from age three is also included, which is aimed at promoting better overall learning, development, and well-being.
• NCERT will develop a National Curricular and Pedagogical Framework for Early Childhood Care and Education (NCPFECCE) for children up to the age of 8 in two parts, namely, a sub-framework for 0-3 year-olds, and a sub-framework for 3-8 year-olds.
• The highest priority of the education system will be to achieve universal foundational literacy and numeracy in primary school by 2025. The rest of this Policy will become relevant for our students only if this most basic learning requirement (i.e., reading, writing, and arithmetic at the foundational level) is first achieved. The Ministry of Education will set up a National Mission on Foundational Literacy and Numeracy.
• A pupil-teacher ratio (PTR) of under 30:1 will be ensured at the level of each school; areas having large numbers of socio-economically disadvantaged students will aim for a PTR of under 25:1.
• A national repository of high-quality resources on foundational literacy and numeracy will be made available on the Digital Infrastructure for Knowledge Sharing (DIKSHA).
• Peer tutoring can be taken up as a voluntary and joyful activity for fellow students under the supervision of trained teachers and by taking due care of safety aspects.
• Enjoyable and inspirational books for students at all levels will be developed, including through high-quality translation in all local and Indian languages. They will be made available extensively in both school and local public libraries. A National Book Promotion Policy will be formulated, and extensive initiatives will be undertaken to ensure the availability, accessibility, quality, and readership of books across geographies, languages, levels, and genres. 
• Research shows that the morning hours after a nutritious breakfast can be incredibly productive for the study of cognitively more demanding subjects and hence these hours may be leveraged by providing a simple but energizing breakfast in addition to midday meals. In locations where hot meals are not possible, a simple but nutritious meal, e.g., groundnuts/chana mixed with jaggery and/or local fruits may be provided.
• All school children shall undergo regular health check-ups, especially for 100% immunization in schools and health cards will be issued to monitor the same.
• Open and Distance Learning (ODL) Programmes offered by the National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS), and State Open Schools will be expanded and strengthened for meeting the learning needs of young people in India who are not able to attend a physical school.

Flexibility in course choices

• Students will be given increased flexibility and choice of subjects to study, particularly in secondary school – including subjects in physical education, the arts and crafts, and vocational skills – so that they can design their own paths of study and life plans. Holistic development and a wide choice of subjects and courses year to year will be the new distinguishing feature of secondary school education. There will be no hard separation among ‘curricular’, ‘extracurricular’, or ‘co-curricular’, among ‘arts’, ‘humanities’, and ‘sciences’, or between ‘vocational’ or ‘academic’ streams. Subjects such as physical education, the arts and crafts, and vocational skills, in addition to science, humanities, and mathematics, will be incorporated throughout the school curriculum, with a consideration for what is interesting and safe at each age.

Multilingualism and the power of language

• The medium of instruction until at least Grade 5, but preferably till Grade 8 and beyond, will be the home language/mother-tongue/local language/regional language. After that, the home/local language shall continue to be taught as a language wherever possible. Both public and private schools will follow this. Textbooks, including in science, will be made available in home languages/mother tongue. All efforts will be made to ensure that any gaps that exist between the language spoken by the child and the medium of teaching are bridged.
• The three-language formula will continue to be implemented to promote multilingualism as well as promote national unity. However, there will be greater flexibility in the three-language formula, and no language will be imposed on any State. The three languages learned by children will be the choices of States, regions, and of course, the students themselves, so long as at least two of the three languages are native to India.

• The importance, relevance, and beauty of the languages and literature of India also cannot be overlooked. Sanskrit, an important modern language possesses classical literature that is greater in volume than that of Latin and Greek put together, containing vast treasures of mathematics, philosophy, grammar, music, politics, medicine, architecture, metallurgy, drama, poetry, storytelling, and more (known as ‘Sanskrit Knowledge Systems’), written by people over thousands of years.
• Sanskrit will thus be offered at all levels of school and higher education as an important, enriching option for students, including as an option in the three-language formula. 
• In addition to Sanskrit, other classical languages and literature of India, including Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Odia, Pali, Persian, and Prakrit, will also be widely available in schools as options for students, possibly as online modules.
• For the enrichment of the children, and for the preservation of these rich languages and their artistic treasures, all students in all schools, public or private, will have the option of learning at least two years of a classical language of India and its associated literature, in Grades 6-12, with the option to continue from the middle stage through the secondary stage and beyond.
• In addition to high-quality offerings in Indian languages and English, foreign languages, such as Korean, Japanese, Thai, French, German, Spanish, Portuguese, and Russian, will also be offered at the secondary level, to learn about the cultures of the world and to enrich their global knowledge and mobility according to their own interests and aspirations.
• Indian Sign Language (ISL) will be standardized across the country. Local sign languages will be respected and taught as well, where possible and relevant.

Curricular Integration of Essential Subjects, Skills, and Capacities

• Concerted curricular and pedagogical initiatives, including the introduction of contemporary subjects such as Artificial Intelligence, Design Thinking, Holistic Health, Organic Living, Environmental Education, Global Citizenship Education (GCED), etc. at relevant stages.
• Mathematics and computational thinking will be given increased emphasis throughout the school years, starting with the foundational stage as they will be significant for India’s future in the numerous upcoming fields and professions that will involve artificial intelligence, machine learning, and data science, etc. 
• Every student during 6-8 grades will experience the important vocational crafts, such as carpentry, electric work, metalwork, gardening, pottery making, etc., as decided by local skilling needs. All students will participate in a 10-day bagless period sometime during Grades 6-8 where they intern with local vocational experts such as carpenters, gardeners, potters, artists, etc. Vocational courses through online mode will also be made available. 

• Bagless days will be encouraged throughout the year for various types of enrichment activities involving arts, quizzes, sports, and vocational crafts. Children will be given periodic exposure to activities outside school through visits to places/monuments of historical, cultural and tourist importance, meeting local artists and craftsmen and visits higher educational institutions in their village/Tehsil/District/State.
• Knowledge from ancient India and its contributions to modern India concerning education, health, environment, etc. will be incorporated accurately and scientifically throughout the school curriculum wherever relevant. 
• Tribal knowledge and indigenous and traditional ways of learning will be covered and included in mathematics, astronomy, philosophy, yoga, architecture, medicine, agriculture, engineering, linguistics, literature, sports, games, as well as in governance, polity, conservation. 
• Specific courses in tribal ethnomedicinal practices, forest management, traditional (organic) crop cultivation, natural farming, etc. will also be made available. 
• An engaging course on Indian Knowledge Systems will also be available to students in a secondary school as an elective.
• Children will have the opportunity to read and learn from the original stories of the Panchatantra, Jataka, Hitopadesh, and other fun fables and inspiring tales from the Indian tradition and learn about their influences on global literature. 
• Excerpts from the Indian Constitution and basic training preventive health, mental health, good nutrition, personal and public hygiene, disaster response and first-aid will also be included in the curriculum, as well as scientific explanations of the detrimental and damaging effects of alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs. 

National Curriculum Framework for School Education (NCFSE)

• The formulation of a new and comprehensive National Curricular Framework for School Education, NCFSE 2020-21, will be undertaken by the NCERT. The NCFSE document shall henceforth be revisited and updated once every 5-10 years, taking into account the frontline curriculum.

Transforming Assessment for Student Development

• The progress card will be a holistic, 360-degree, multidimensional report that reflects the progress as well as the uniqueness of each learner in the cognitive, affective, and psychomotor domains. It will include self-assessment and peer assessment, and improvement of the child in project-based and inquiry-based learning, quizzes, role plays, group work, portfolios, etc., along with teacher assessment. It would also provide teachers and parents with valuable information on how to support each student in and out of the classroom. 
• AI-based software could be developed and used by students to help track their growth through their school years based on learning data and interactive questionnaires for parents, students, and teachers, to provide students with valuable information on their strengths, areas of interest, and needed areas of focus, and to thereby help them make optimal career choices. 
• While the Board exams for Grades 10 and 12 will be continued, the existing system of Board and entrance examinations shall be reformed to eliminate the need for undertaking coaching classes. Board exams will also be made ‘easier’, in the sense that they will test primarily core capacities/competencies rather than months of coaching and memorization. Further, all students will be allowed to take Board Exams on up to two occasions during any given school year, one main examination and one for improvement, if desired. 
• To track progress throughout the school years, and not just at the end of Grades 10 and 12 – for the benefit of students, parents, teachers, principals, and the entire schooling system in planning improvements to schools and teaching-learning processes – all students will take school examinations in Grades 3, 5, and 8 which will be conducted by the appropriate authority. The Grade 3 examination, in particular, would test basic literacy, numeracy, and other foundational skills.
• National Assessment Centre, PARAKH (Performance Assessment, Review, and Analysis of Knowledge for Holistic Development), will be established as a standard-setting body for setting norms, standards, and guidelines for student assessment and evaluation for all recognized school boards of India to shift their assessment patterns towards meeting the skill requirements of the 21st century.
• The National Testing Agency (NTA) will conduct university exams. It will work to offer a common aptitude test, and specialized common subject exams in the sciences, humanities, languages, arts, and vocational subjects, at least twice every year. These exams shall test conceptual understanding and the ability to apply knowledge and shall aim to eliminate the need for taking coaching for these exams.

Teachers’ Recruitment and Deployment

• Teacher Eligibility Tests (TETs) will be strengthened and also be extended to cover teachers across all stages (Foundational, Preparatory, Middle and Secondary) of school education. 
• For subject teachers, suitable TET or NTA test scores in the corresponding subjects will also be taken into account for recruitment. And a classroom demonstration or interview will become an integral part of teacher hiring at schools. Teachers in private schools also must qualify similarly through TET, a demonstration/interview, and knowledge of the local language.
• Schools will be encouraged to hire local eminent persons or experts as ‘master instructors’ in various subjects, such as in traditional local arts, vocational crafts, entrepreneurship, agriculture, or any other subject where local expertise exists, to benefit students and help preserve and promote local knowledge and professions. 
• Teachers will be given continuous opportunities for self-improvement and to learn the latest innovations and advances in their professions. Each teacher will be expected to participate in at least 50 hours of CPD opportunities every year for their own professional development, driven by their own interests.
• A common guiding set of National Professional Standards for Teachers (NPST) will be developed by 2022, by the National Council for Teacher Education in its restructured new form as a Professional Standard Setting Body (PSSB). The professional standards will be reviewed and revised in 2030, and after that every ten years, based on rigorous empirical analysis of the efficacy of the system. 
• A National Mission for Mentoring shall be established, with a large pool of outstanding senior/retired faculty – including those with the ability to teach in Indian languages – who would be willing to provide short and long-term mentoring to university/college teachers.

Approach to Teacher Education

• By 2030, the minimum degree qualification for teaching will be a 4-year integrated B.Ed degree that teaches a range of knowledge content and pedagogy and includes strong practicum training in the form of student-teaching at local schools. 
• The 2-year B.Ed. programmes will be intended only for those who have already obtained Bachelor’s Degrees in other specialized subjects. The 1-year B.Ed. programmes will be offered only to those who have completed the equivalent of 4-year multidisciplinary Bachelor’s Degrees or who have obtained a Master’s degree in a speciality.
• A new and comprehensive National Curriculum Framework for Teacher Education, NCFTE 2021, will be formulated by the NCTE in consultation with NCERT.

Equitable and Inclusive Education: Learning for All

• The Government of India will constitute a ‘Gender-Inclusion Fund’ to build the nation’s capacity to provide equitable quality education for all girls as well as transgender students. 
• The fund will be available to States to implement priorities determined by the Central government for assisting female and transgender children in gaining access to education (such as the provisions of sanitation and toilets, bicycles, conditional cash transfers, etc.).
• Under the aegis of the Ministry of Defence, State Governments may encourage opening NCC wings in their secondary and higher secondary schools. It will enable harnessing the natural talent and unique potential of students, that would help them to aspire to a successful career in the defence forces. 
• To enhance cooperation and synergy among schools, including between public and private schools, the pairing of one public school with one private school will be adopted across the country, so that such paired schools may interact with each other, learn from each other, and also share resources. Best practices of private schools will be documented, shared, and institutionalized in public schools, and vice versa, where possible.
• Every State will be encouraged to strengthen existing or establish “Bal Bhavans” where children of all ages can visit once a week or more often, as a special daytime boarding school, to partake in art-related, career-related, and play-related activities. 
• Further, the un-utilized capacity of school infrastructure could be used to promote social, intellectual, and volunteer activities for the community and to promote social cohesion during non-teaching / schooling hours and may be used as a “Samajik Chetna Kendra”.

Standard-setting and Accreditation for School Education

• The Department of School Education, which is the apex state-level body in school education, will be responsible for overall monitoring and policymaking for continual improvement of the public education system.
• The Directorate of School Education will handle the educational operations and service provision for the public schooling system of the whole State. It will work independently to implement policies regarding educational operations and provision. 
• To ensure that all schools follow certain minimal professional and quality standards, States/UTs will set up an independent, State-wide, body called the State School Standards Authority (SSSA).
• The State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT) will develop a School Quality Assessment and Accreditation Framework (SQAAF) through wide consultations with all stakeholders.

Quality Universities and Colleges: A New and Forward-looking Vision for India’s Higher Education System

The policy’s vision includes the following key changes to the current system: 

• Moving towards a higher educational system consisting of large, multidisciplinary universities and colleges, with at least one in or near every district, and with more HEIs across India that offer a medium of instruction or programmes in local/Indian languages. 
• Moving towards faculty and institutional autonomy.
• Revamping curriculum, pedagogy, assessment, and student support for enhanced student experiences.
• Establishment of a National Research Foundation to fund outstanding peer-reviewed research and to actively seed research in universities and colleges.
• “Light but tight” regulation by a single regulator for higher education.

Institutional Restructuring

• By 2040, all higher education institutions (HEIs) shall aim to become multidisciplinary institutions and to have larger student enrolments preferably in the thousands. Since this process will take time, all HEIs will firstly plan to become multidisciplinary by 2030, and then gradually increase student strength to the desired levels.

Holistic and Multidisciplinary Education

• Engineering institutions, such as IITs, will move towards more holistic and multidisciplinary education with more arts and humanities. 
• Global Citizenship Education (GCED), a response to contemporary global challenges, will be provided to empower learners to become aware of and understand global issues and to become active promoters of more peaceful, tolerant, inclusive, secure, and sustainable societies.
• The undergraduate degree will be of either 3 or 4-year duration, with multiple exit options within this period, with appropriate certifications, e.g., a certificate after completing 1 year in a discipline or field including vocational and professional areas, or a diploma after 2 years of study, or a Bachelor’s degree after a 3-year programme. 
• The 4-year multidisciplinary Bachelor’s programme, however, shall be the preferred option since it allows the opportunity to experience the full range of holistic and multidisciplinary education in addition to a focus on the chosen major and minors as per the choices of the student. 
• An Academic Bank of Credit (ABC) shall be established which would digitally store the academic credits earned from various recognized HEIs. The 4-year programme may also lead to a degree ‘with Research’ if the student completes a rigorous research project in their major area(s) of study as specified by the HEI.
• HEIs will have the flexibility to offer different designs of Master’s programmes: (a) there may be a 2-year programme with the second year devoted entirely to research for those who have completed the 3-year Bachelor’s programme; (b) for students completing a 4-year Bachelor’s programme with Research, there could be a 1-year Master’s programme; and (c) there may be an integrated 5-year Bachelor’s/Master’s programme. Undertaking a PhD shall require either a Master’s degree or a 4-year Bachelor’s degree with Research. The M.Phil programme shall be discontinued.
• Model public universities for holistic and multidisciplinary education, at par with IITs, IIMs, etc., called MERUs (Multidisciplinary Education and Research Universities) will be set up and will aim to attain the highest global standards in quality education. 

Reimagining Vocational Education

• By 2025, at least 50% of learners through the school and higher education system shall have exposure to vocational education, for which a clear action plan with targets and timelines will be developed.
• This policy aims to overcome the social status hierarchy associated with vocational education and requires the integration of vocational education programmes into mainstream education in all educational institutions in a phased manner. 
• Beginning with vocational exposure at early ages in middle and secondary school, quality vocational education will be integrated smoothly into higher education. It will ensure that every child learns at least one vocation and is exposed to several more.

• Vocational education will be integrated into the educational offerings of all secondary schools in a phased manner over the next decade. Towards this, secondary schools will also collaborate with ITIs, polytechnics, local industry, etc. 
• Skill labs will also be set up and created in the schools in a hub and spoke model, which will allow other schools to use the facility. 
• The Ministry of Education will constitute a National Committee for the Integration of Vocational Education (NCIVE), consisting of experts in vocational education and representatives from across Ministries, in collaboration with industry, to oversee this effort.

National Research Foundation

• The policy envisions the establishment of a National Research Foundation (NRF). The overarching goal of the NRF will be to enable a culture of research to permeate through our universities. The NRF will competitively fund research in all disciplines.

Transforming the Regulatory System of Higher Education

• The regulatory system of higher education will ensure that the distinct functions of regulation, accreditation, funding, and academic standard setting will be performed by different, independent, and empowered bodies. These four structures will be set up as four separate verticals within one umbrella institution, the Higher Education Commission of India (HECI). 
• The first vertical of HECI will be the National Higher Education Regulatory Council (NHERC). It will function as the common, single point regulator for the higher education sector, including teacher education and excluding medical and legal education.
• The second vertical of HECI will be the National Accreditation Council (NAC). Accreditation of institutions will be based primarily on basic norms, public self-disclosure, good governance, and outcomes.
• The third vertical of HECI will be the Higher Education Grants Council (HEGC), which will carry out funding and financing of higher education. HEGC will be entrusted with the disbursement of scholarships and developmental funds for launching new focus areas and expanding quality programme offerings at HEIs across disciplines and fields.
• The fourth vertical of HECI will be the General Education Council (GEC), which will frame expected learning outcomes for higher education programmes, also referred to as ‘graduate attributes’. The GEC will formulate a National Higher Education Qualification Framework (NHEQF), and it shall be in sync with the National Skills Qualifications Framework (NSQF) to ease the integration of vocational education into higher education.
• The professional councils, such as the Indian Council for Agricultural Research (ICAR), Veterinary Council of India (VCI), National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE), Council of Architecture (CoA), National Council for Vocational Education and Training (NCVET) etc., will act as Professional Standard-Setting Bodies (PSSBs). These bodies, after restructuring as PSSBs, will continue to draw the curricula, lay down academic standards and coordinate between teaching, research and extension of their domain/discipline, as members of the GEC.

Effective Governance of Higher Education Institutions

• Through a suitable system of graded accreditation and graded autonomy, and in a phased manner over 15 years, all HEIs in India will aim to become independent self-governing institutions pursuing innovation and excellence.

Professional Education

• Stand-alone agricultural universities, legal universities, health science universities, technical universities, and stand-alone institutions in other fields, shall aim to become multidisciplinary institutions offering holistic and multidisciplinary education. 

Adult Education

• An outstanding adult education curriculum framework will be developed by a new and well-supported constituent body of the NCERT that is dedicated to adult education. It will prepare curricula for literacy, numeracy, basic education, vocational skills, and beyond.
• Suitable infrastructure will be ensured so that all interested adults will have access to adult education and lifelong learning. 
• Improving the availability and accessibility of books is essential to inculcate the habit of reading within our communities and educational institutions.

Promotion of Indian Languages, Arts, and Culture

• High-quality programmes and degrees in Translation and Interpretation, Art and Museum Administration, Archaeology, Artefact Conservation, Graphic Design, and Web Design within the higher education system will also be created. It will further strengthen the tourism industry in India.
• An Indian Institute of Translation and Interpretation (IITI) will be established to make high-quality learning materials and other vital written and spoken material available to the public in various Indian and foreign languages.
• Sanskrit will be mainstreamed with strong offerings in school – including as one of the language options in the three-language formula – as well as in higher education due to its vast and significant contributions and literature across genres and subjects, its cultural significance, and its scientific nature.
• Sanskrit teachers in large numbers will be professionalized across the country in mission mode through the offering of 4-year integrated multidisciplinary B.Ed. dual degrees in education and Sanskrit.
• It is also proposed that a new institution for Languages will be established. National Institute (or Institutes) for Pali, Persian and Prakrit will also be set up.
• Sanskrit teachers in large numbers will be professionalized across the country in mission mode through the offering of 4-year integrated multidisciplinary B.Ed. dual degrees in education and Sanskrit.
• For each of the languages mentioned in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution of India, Academies will be established consisting of some of the greatest scholars and native speakers to determine simple yet accurate vocabulary for the latest concepts, and to release the latest dictionaries regularly (analogous to the successful efforts for many other languages around the world).

Technology Use and Integration

• An autonomous body, the National Educational Technology Forum (NETF), will be created to provide a platform for the free exchange of ideas on the use of technology to enhance learning, assessment, planning, administration, and so on, both for school and higher education. 
• A rich variety of educational software will be developed and made available for students and teachers at all levels. All such software will be available in all major Indian languages and will be accessible to a wide range of users, including students in remote areas and Divyang students.
• Universities will aim to offer PhD and Masters programmes in core areas such as Machine Learning as well as multidisciplinary fields “AI + X” and professional areas like health care, agriculture, and law.
• A dedicated unit to orchestrate the building of digital infrastructure, digital content and capacity building, will be created to look after the e-education needs of both school and higher education.

Strengthening and empowering of the Central Advisory Board of Education (CABE) which will have a much greater mandate and not only a forum for widespread consultation and examination of issues relating to educational and cultural development. The remodelled and rejuvenated CABE shall also be responsible for developing, articulating, evaluating, and revising the vision of education in the country continuously.

To bring the focus back on education and learning, it is desirable that the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) be re-designated as the Ministry of Education (MoE).

The Centre and the States will work together to increase the public investment in the Education sector to reach 6% of GDP at the earliest. This is considered extremely critical for achieving the high-quality and equitable public education system that is genuinely needed for India’s future economic, social, cultural, intellectual, and technological progress and growth.

Schools generally cover theoretical aspects of academic education, but they don’t focus on career mapping based on a children’s interest. Hence, the onus is on students to plan a career that can make their school or college education purposeful. While the students prepare themselves for a better future, they need to inculcate essential life skills to have a successful career.

Now the question is, what are these life skills and what’s their significance?

Life skills are the abilities and behaviours that assist individuals in dealing effectively with the challenges they face after leaving school, such as selection in top universities, finding an appropriate job, excel in a career, etc. 

These skills allow them to handle situations and interactions with other people by identifying and processing emotions systematically. While some life skills are innately developed based on a person’s culture and upbringing, some can be learned based on the career’s interest.

Hence, here we have listed some life skills that are considered crucial in the real world:

Analytical Skills

It is the ability to find an ideal solution to a problem by collecting information and analysing data. There are some specific professions for people equipped with analytical skills. However, most of the employers seek employees who are capable of using logical steps to solve an issue and make decisions depending on the company’s objective. People who possess this skill can help a company in improving its productivity and attaining success. Hence, analytical thinking may sound a technical word, but it is an essential life skill that every person requires.

Some examples are – cost analysis, business analysis, profit analysis, process analysis, etc.

The other aspects of analytical skills are:

Critical Thinking

It is another crucial aspect of strong analytical skill. Critical thinking refers to the ability to evaluate information based on the available data, facts and research findings and make informed decisions. 

For example, analysing customer service feedback data and developing a training session for employees based on the suggestions made by the customers.

A nurse analyses a similar type of disease case and decides the pattern in which patients should be treated.

Research

Before analysing the data on any problem, you must be able to research and collect data regarding it. It involves checking government websites, reviewing a large volume of excel sheets, collecting competitor’s information and much more.

Creative Thinking

People often associate creativity with arts, writing, and music. However, not all creative thinkers are artists. 

Analytical skill isn’t restricted to find an obvious solution based on data interpretation. It also includes creative thinking, which means doing something differently, or you can say it defines “Think outside the box” idiom quite well. Creative thinking is the ability to perceive patterns that are not evident to everyone. Hence, hiring managers look for creative thinking in their employees to bring a fresh perspective to work.

Examples of creative thinking include:

• Identify ways to cut costs during a budget crisis.
• Research new procedures to improve the quality of the product.
• Brainstorm at a business meeting to set strategies for next year.
• Creative problem-solving often stands out innovative and enables a person to become a leader. It can be used in fields like marketing, advertising, business, science and technology. For example, designing a new robot, writing a new computer program, devising a technical solution to automate the billing process, etc.

Creativity 

As we discussed creative thinking above, it shows that there are two sides of it – one is an essential life skill, and the other is based on artistic interest. Thus, if you are inclined towards arts and can think out of the box in arts, music, writing, acting, and photography, you are a creative professional who can make a career in any of these fields.

Professions based on creativity

1. Content writer – Writing content for blogs, website and social media
2. Editor – Editing the writer’s work and make it crisp
3. Copywriter – Writing copies for advertisements
4. Published author – Writing book
5. Graphic designer – Creating pictures for websites and social media.
6. Painter – Paintings of various genre
7. Photographer – Wildlife, humankind, weddings, portrait
8. Animation – Movies, videos
9. Music bands
10. YouTuber
11. Theatre
12. Films
13. Web series 
14. Communication

It refers to an individual’s ability to convey precise information to others either verbally or in writing. Whether you aspire to become a scientist or a writer, effective communication skills are necessary at the workplace to achieve success and growth. Communication doesn’t only mean speaking influentially; it also entails several other skills, which are:

Listening: Being a good listener is crucial to understand another person’s perspective. If you don’t pay heed to what others say, then it can be challenging to comprehend the work instructions given by your colleagues or seniors.

Confidence: It is another imperative factor in communication. If you present your idea or proposal with confidence, others also believe in you. But you also need to make sure that you don’t leave an impression of being aggressive or arrogant.

Body language: It includes hand gestures, eye contact, and a firm handshake. A robust body language is necessary to reflect your confidence while conversing or making presentations. It also helps in conveying a compelling message to the audience.

Clear and concise communication: Be clear and concise while talking or writing formal emails to other people. Think before you speak to avoid any confusion.

Friendliness: Whether you are in school, college or workplace, a friendly tone always helps in engaging, be it with co-workers, classmates or anyone.

Open-mindedness: An excellent communicator needs to respect others ideas as well. However, if you disagree with others’ opinions, enter into a productive discussion and try to decide on a ground where people should know the logic behind the exclusion of their ideas.

Be open to constructive criticism given by seniors. However, you can always ask clarifying questions if you are unsure of something.

Professions based on communication

1. Public Speaking
2. Marketing
3. Sales
4. Teaching

Information Technology (IT)

For any job, it is essential to learn the basic computer programs such as Microsoft Word (for documentation), Excel (for collecting and analysing data), Powerpoint (for presentation) and Email Management. However, if you are inclined more towards technology, you must know the advanced fields in it. For example, artificial intelligence, machine learning (ML), robotics, cloud computing, blockchain technology, software programming, etc. 

Also, it is crucial to update yourself with future technologies based on market requirements.

Domain Knowledge

Knowing the domains is vital for a person to decide the career path, be it in science, maths, arts and humanities or commerce stream. Here are the prominent domains that have covered a significant section of the job market:

Information Technology – Software, mobile platforms and advanced technologies

Healthcare – Medicines, hospital care and digital health records

Retail – Malls, physical stores, online stores, hypermarkets, e-commerce

Fintech – Adoption of technology in finance process

Banking – Traditional and online banking

Some other domains are:

Space science – Aeronautical engineering, research on space missions, spacewalk, space tourism

Medical science – Homeopathy, Ayurveda, Surgery, Physician, Dentist

Innovative Thinking

People who begin startups based on a unique idea are not the only innovators. People who apply new methods and technologies in their existing fields are also known as innovators. Here are a few examples:

• A doctor who implements Ayurveda medicine usage to diet and nutrition area
• A writer who learn graphic designing and coding skills to develop a website

Bottom line – the key takeaways

Apart from having these valuable life skills, it is also imperative to highlight them on your resume while applying for a job and during interviews. 

Employers in every field seek candidates who have unique skills, willingness to adapt to a new environment, and can work in a team.

Hence, here are the top 6 takeaways from the article that can help you in standing out from the crowd:

• Staying at the top of industry news is vital.
• Learn selling skills, even if it is about explaining your ideas to teammates and bringing them onboard.
• Become tech-savvy: From necessary coding skills to social media, learn to use technology fluidly.
• Project management skills: Learn to look at the bigger picture of your work and take the logical steps.
• Always question other people what can be done better.
• Learn to hire and manage people.

How can one acquire these skills?

Now that you know what these skills are and how important it is for you to learn these skills starting from a young age, you may be wondering how can you easily learn these skills?

There are three parts to any education that is done outside of school:

• Reading different, diverse, unique and fresh content.
• Attending webinars, workshops or learning from video courses.
• Finding a mentor that can assist you in navigating your career process.

Since the internet world has a lot of information, you can find it on google or Wikipedia or another relevant website. But the challenge is understanding the “what” aspect of learning. In schools and colleges, the textbook gives you the curriculum and your teachers, or you learn by following it. Whatever research or independent learning you do from the internet, either it is tedious, unsafe, irrelevant or complex to understand.

You need one single resource that can help you with learning or gaining knowledge on a variety of things that are handpicked for you and applied to a framework. This will become the foundation phase for you, and the earlier you start, the better it is.

And of course, you can then strengthen the skills through other forms of learning.

Skillioma is one such unique resource.

For more updates on the career section, sign up on Skillioma.

Children are fond of ice creams, candies, cakes, pastries, soft drinks and the list goes on having no limit. Even adults are enamoured with that stuff. But are they healthy? Do they provide nutrients? Probably one cannot consume or would get an idea of renouncing those items if the facts related to that stuff are known. The most alarming and depressing truth is that 40 million children under age five and around 340 million children (and adolescents) under age 19 across the globe are obese. And the sole reason is the increase in the intake of huge amounts of junk food and physical inactivity !!!

What is Junk food?

Junk food is unhealthy food rich in calorie content with no or less nutrient values and so the name. It is often considered as HFSS (High in fat, salt and sugar) foods. 

Few may consider fast-food as junk food. But it is not right to have a conclusion like that since all kinds of fast-food are not the same. For example, fast-food items like noodles and fried rice can be considered as junk food, but at the same time, fruit/vegetable salads are not junk foods though they are fast-food items.

Primarily, junk food provides empty calories, and the appellation of whether the food is junk food or not mainly depends on the ingredients used in making it.

Why should we be concerned about it?

Heavy intake of high-calorie food without any or less physical activity results in the accumulation of fat in the body, which affects health. If childhood obesity remains unchecked, it would be continued during adulthood and will have significant health implications.

Childhood obesity may cause liver disease and diabetes, and adulthood obesity might result in hypertension, heart stroke, diabetes and even cancer.

What should you do?

The only way to avert obesity is the optimal amount of eating with a healthy diet. 

• Make a habit of eating a handful of assorted nuts every day instead of eating rich calorie and unhealthy junk food.
• Fresh fruits and vegetables will enrich you with nutrients and required minerals by which the body rejuvenates itself without the need for artificial supplements.
• The exercise, followed by a perfect diet makes anyone fit physically and mentally.
• The most important thing is to desist kids from watching screens for more hours and allow them to spend some time in outdoor games every day.
• Avoid products made with refined grains and added sugars.
• Have an adequate sleep.
• Give up an overeating habit.

5-2-1-0 Rule

It states that “five” or more veggies/ fruits per day, no more than “two” hours of screen time a day, “one” hour or more of physical activity and “no” sugary drinks every day keeps you healthy.

Did you know?

Few countries started “Pigouvian taxation“. Hungary imposes taxes on foods and beverages on High fat, salt, sugar (HFSS) foods. Norway taxes on refined sugar products.

Tai chi, an ancient Chinese martial art created for self-defence centuries ago, has evolved now as a gentle physical exercise for the health and well being of humans.

How does it work?

As said above, it is a gentle physical exercise involving slow and focused stretching coordinated with breathing. Every posture flows into the next posture without giving a pause, ensuring the body in a continuous motion. Thus, It is also called “Meditation in Motion”.

Health Benefits

Though certain researches are underway to validate this theory, many claims that it is showing a positive impact on health. Many surveys displayed that Tai chi has positive outcomes.

Anxiety, depression and stress will get reduced once you start learning Tai chi as per claims. It also claims that it improves strength, agility, immune system, mood and quality of sleep.

Further, it revealed that it’s showing significant improvement of overall health if Tai chi is performed regularly and correctly.

Types of Tai Chi

There are various styles of Tai Chi, but there are five styles which have become a basis for modern styles. They are Chen, Sun, Wu, Wu (Hao) and Yang.

Some of these styles are used for self-defence and some others for well being.

History

Zhang Sanfeng is believed to be the person who formulated Tai Chi though some modern researchers have doubts regarding its validity. However, it dates back to around 5-7 centuries ago.

Present Day Scenario

People around the world have come across Tai Chi and eager to learn it to relieve themselves from stress and anxiety, caused by the modern-day work culture and other related issues. Moreover, it has become prominent because of the ease of doing and flexibility. Even aged people like doing Tai Chi exercises.

There is a typical saying that pets are human’s loyal friends, and indeed! It’s true. Pets shower love and don’t expect anything in return. Also, researchers have continuously told us that pets stimulate the feel-good factor by being around. Just touching their furry body or petting them soothes the mind and soul. However, this is not the only reason to adopt a pet. Here are the others:

A pet will always lend an ear to what you share

While growing as an adolescent, you may face turmoil in your life or can be in chaos, during situations of sadness or competition, or other factors such as changing of hormones. Many times, you might not want to share your feelings with family or friends due to the fear of being judged. However, with a pet, you don’t need to think twice before telling your conundrums. You know why is it vital to share your feelings and thoughts with someone? Because keeping your thoughts within can cause anxiety, which is not suitable for your mental health. Hence, the happy mantra is – share all your insecurities and fears with your pet. Keep your mind relaxed to channelise all your focus on your studies and career.

Always be your companion

Irrespective of your appearance, intelligence, or mood, a pet will always be on your side and will give you his/her attention when you need it most. The only factor that is necessary for a pet is your existence, unlike other friends that may leave you during your sad moments or dark days. Among other psychological benefits, owning a pet also has a positive impact on your self-esteem as you will never have a feeling of being alone.

Engage you in physical activities

With the advent of the internet, teens remain busy in playing mobile games and watching videos, which leads to a reduction in physical activity. Hence, having a pet will ensure that either you go for a walk or get involved in playing ball games which is essential to bust stress as it increases the level of oxytocin hormones (stress-reducing) in the body. Even professors from the University of Massachusetts found out from their research that teens from dog-owning families get involved in moderate to vigorous physical activities daily, rather than those who don’t have pets.

Regulate the emotional temperature in the house

For many teens, it is easier to hug a pet than a family person. In such cases, pets keep the family emotionally connected by teaching teens how to give back love and affection.

Bottom line

Now, as we have looked on the positive side of having a pet, let’s focus on the other side of the equation. Not every adult is comfortable with a pet due to various reasons such as allergy, which is fine. However, if you want to own a pet, remember it comes with an expense and responsibility. Thus, discuss with your parents openly if they can bear the cost of adding another member in the family as it includes food, veterinary visits and quality care. If everything goes fine, then welcome a pet at your home and spend happy times enjoying its warmth. 

As soon as children enter into their teens, the first thing they look at is getting on social media platforms. If the parents warn and refrain from giving them mobile phones, they retaliate. However, it isn’t children’s fault entirely because they get influenced by their elder’s habits, which means checking social media updates on their phones as the first thing to do in the morning every day.

A smartphone has become a basic necessity in everyone’s life and a permanent fixture to the palm. It would not be surprising to say that in today’s time, it’s hard to even think of a life without it for most of us. Being connected with friends and families through social media platforms like Facebook or Instagram has become more comfortable for people than meeting face to face. 

According to a study conducted in the United States on people of different ages revealed that children who come under 9-15 age bracket, log into their social media accounts for an average of 23 times a day and adults aged between 15 and 25 spend more time on social media than at college classes.

Initially, it will be a fascination or a status symbol for the youth, and then it becomes an addiction. So, here are some prominent signs that can indicate you to break away from the habit of using social media for the betterment of your cognitive and physical health.

You feel stressed

Consider this scenario – as social media is very addictive, you tend to check your social media accounts constantly to stay updated. The fear of missing out led you to prioritise social media over other works due to which you end up spending more time on it. Moreover, not having enough ‘likes’ on your post keeps you anxious. You also prefer to remain awake during late hours for online chatting and don’t sleep properly. Then by default, the repercussion is lack of sleep and doctors tell that an average adult requires at least 7 hours of quality sleep. Hence, if you are not doing it, stress or sleeping disorders like insomnia will be the after effect, which is harmful to your health.

Thus, if it seems like you, then dear, this is the right time for you to take a break. Because among other things if social media is the reason for your health deterioration, then it’s not worth it. Giving priority to your health, work and family is essential.

You feel isolated

Social media is indeed a way of staying connected with thousands of friends irrespective of their locations. However, if you spend a lot of time on social media, and engage less with the people around, be it your friends, family, neighbours or anyone, then this habit can lead you towards the feeling of isolation in the long run. Thus, whenever you feel that you do not have any friends to talk to in real life, please understand it’s the time to stay away from social media and socialise with the people around you. 

Compare yourself with others

As your friends and acquaintances post about travel, achievements and other stuff, you tend to compare. For example, if your friend has received accolades at work and you didn’t get any, you may doubt your capabilities, which isn’t right because every person has a different time frame for his/her accomplishments.

Or, if your friend went on a vacation and you feel that he is enjoying life, but you aren’t.

Hence, in case you are in the state of comparing yourself with others unnecessarily, it is high time to deactivate your social media accounts.

Other’s opinion influences you

Addictive social media exposes you to a lot of news, discussions and people’s opinion on any subject regardless of the validity of the report. So, if you read people’s comments or posts and get persuaded by it without applying your logic, values or thoughts, then maybe it’s a sign for you to stay away from social media until you don’t start forming your own opinion. 

For example, somebody writes on Facebook that the government is not doing enough to eradicate poverty in our country, and you begin to feel the same without doing your research.

The bottom line

Well, once you are addicted to social media, taking a break isn’t easy either. However, there are some hacks to do it:

• Mute notifications from social media accounts to avoid distraction
• Deactivate your accounts for some time
• Channelise your energy in learning a new hobby as it will boost your brain
• Socialise with old friends
• Start reading books
• Focus more on physical activities like exercise, cycling, jogging, playing, dancing, etc. as they are great stress busters
• Impose self-control and dodge spending too much time on social media