ROLE OF LIFE SKILL EDUCATION IN MITIGATING THE CRISIS FACED BY PEOPLE OWING TO COVID-19 PANDEMIC
Description
Abstract: Life Skills Education is an educational approach that prioritises the development of individual life skills, including but not limited to self-reflection, critical thinking, problem-solving, and interpersonal skills. According to the United Nations International Children's Education Fund (UNICEF), life skills-based education can be understood as a form of education that primarily focuses on fostering behaviour modification or behaviour development. The term "life skills" typically encompasses a set of psycho-social and interpersonal abilities that enable individuals to make well-informed decisions, engage in successful communication, and engage in critical thinking. Life skills refer to a set of powerful abilities that individuals possess, which allow them to effectively navigate and adapt to the various transformations and difficulties encountered during their lives. Enhancing life skills among students facilitates their ability to effectively navigate challenges and uncertainties, optimise potential possibilities, and resolve issues through collaborative and non-aggressive means. Currently, life skills education is recognised as a crucial non-pharmaceutical tool in the battle against COVID-19. Given the current circumstances, individuals are gradually adapting to the prevailing situation resulting from the pandemic by enhancing their fundamental life skills and knowledge. This process can be effectively facilitated by the implementation of a structured life skill education programme. The global community is currently experiencing a crisis characterised by widespread unemployment, diminished job security, heightened worry, and increased prevalence of mental disease. These challenges can be attributed to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The present situation necessitates prompt and efficient responses from an education system that upholds social responsibility. However, there is a prevailing belief that life skills education serves as a means to bridge the divide between fundamental functioning and individual capacities. It enhances an individual's capacity to effectively address the requirements and challenges of contemporary society, facilitating the implementation of desirable behaviours in a practical manner. The provision of life skills training, achieved via the incorporation of life skills education, can assist individuals in overcoming various challenges encountered throughout their lives. This present discussion will centre on the aforementioned matter as presented in the article titled "The Role of Life Skill Education in Alleviating the Crisis Experienced by Individuals Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic."