Gearing up for Life

Life is not just an endless stream of black and white occurrences interrupted by robotic decision making. Life is messy and complicated, and well real. And the Akshaya Patra Foundation realised this too, and implemented the Akshaya Life Skills programme in the schools it serves, to help provide young children with the skills they need to deal with the real world.

Following the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) directive of imparting Life skills to children, the Akshaya Patra Organisation turned its attention to ensuring that the children received more than just academic knowledge and focused on the all-round development of each individual being nurtured under its wings.

The Akshaya Life Skills (ALS) programme has been undertaken in collaboration with EduMedia and trains students in the ten important life skills outlined by WHO: decision making, problem solving, effective communication, inter-personal skills, critical thinking, creative thinking, self-awareness, empathy, coping with stress and self-management.

An impact study on the Akshaya Life Skills programme showed that the undertaking has been yielding positive results over the years. Comparing the SSLC results data from the year 2007 to 2012, Akshaya Life Skills students have shown remarkable improvement over the years as compared to the trajectory of the Board results.

The study showed that the passing percentage of ALS students increased from 47.54 per cent in 2007-08 to 74.96 per cent in 2011-12, while the passing percentage of the Board results increased slightly from 73.21 to 76.13 per cent during the same period. The programme has also served to encourage students to further their education by enrolling in higher studies. The study found that between 2007-08 and 2010-11, the percentage of ALS students applying for higher education rose from 26 per cent to 45 per cent.

By bringing out the Life Skills programme, the Akshaya Patra Foundation looks to the future to help prepare these children for the lives they will lead, and instil in them the qualities they will need to tackle what the world throws at them. It has given them the ability understand their lives beyond academics, develop themselves as dignified, thinking, responsible citizens of India, and the chance to make their mark in society.