Dr.

JITENDRA NAGPAL
Program Director – Expressions India
The Life Skill Education & School Wellness Program, New Delhi
Consultant Psychiatrist - Instt. of Child Development & Adolescent Health, Moolchand Medcity,
New Delhi
……. Many of the things we need, can wait.
The children cannot…….

..Right now is the time his bones are being

formed, his blood is being made and his
senses are being developed. To him we
cannot answer “Tomorrow”. His name is
“Today”.

Gabriela Mistral, 1948

John Dewey
 What educational purposes should the schools seek to
achieve?
 What educational experiences can be provided that are
likely to achieve these purposes?
 How can these educational experiences be
meaningfully
organized?
 How do we ensure that these educational purposes are
indeed being accomplished?
 Revisiting … the aims of education

• Enable children to make sense of life and develop their

potential
• Define and pursue a purpose and recognize the right of
others to do the same

“Childhood is a journey…. Not a race”

National Policy on Education
Clearly recognizes the holistic

nature of child development

Early Childhood Care &

Education (ECCE)is the crucial

foundation for human resource
development and cumulative
lifelong learning.

NPE 1986
National Plan of Action for Children
• Articulates clearly the rights, perspective,
and agenda for the development of children
• Regard the child as an asset and a person
with human rights;
• Recognize the diverse stages and settings of
childhood, and address the needs of each,
providing all children the entitlements that
fulfill and meet their rights .

(National Plan of Action for children, 2005)

The NPAC 2005 has identified 12 Key priority areas
for the highest attention in term of outreach,
programme intervention and resource allocation.
for e.g.

Development of quality education for all

children achieving 100% access and retention in
schools, including pre-schools

Ensuring child participation and choice in matter

and decisions affecting their lives
Health & Wellness – Seeking a Balance
Physical


Psychological Social
HUMAN NEEDS
• Life skills • Knowledge

• Values • Attitudes
THE SCHOOLING TIMES…
Child-seeking
and Child-centred
 From health to wellbeing

 From learning to experiencing

 From answering to questioning

 From observing to participation

Quality learners: healthy, well-nourished, ready to learn, and
supported by their family and community
Quality content: curricula and materials for literacy,
numeracy, knowledge, attitudes, and skills for life

Quality teaching-learning processes: child-centred;

(life) skills-based approaches, technology

Quality learning environments: policies and practices,

facilities (classrooms, water, sanitation), services
(safety, physical and psycho-social health)

Quality outcomes: knowledge, attitudes and skills; suitable

assessment, at classroom and national levels

And gender-sensitive throughout

• Reduces the chances of children engaging in
delinquent behavior, interpersonal violence (Tolan
& Guerra, 1994)
• Delays the onset age of using alcohol, tobbaco, and
other drugs (Griffin & Svendsen, 1992).
• Reduce high risk sexual behaviours that can result
in pregnancy or STI or HIV infection (Kirby, 1997,
WHO metaanalysis (2003))
• Prevent peer rejection and conflict (Mize and Ladd,
1990 and bullying (Oleweus, 1990)
•Enhance anger control (Deffenbacher, Lynch, et.al, 1996)

•Promote positive social adjustment and reduce school

drop outs (Elias, Gara, et.al, 1991) and reduce emotional
disorders (McConaughy et.al, 1998).

•Improve health-related behaviors and self-esteem (Young

et al, 1997)

•Improve academic performance (Elias. Gara et.al, 1991)

Study Sample size Target drug Emphasis of Significant findings Follow up
/ grade level (s) intervention (months)

Btovin, Baker, 3,597 / Tobacco, Life skills training Reduced use for all target 36
Dusenbury, Grades 5- alcohol drugs
Botvin & Diaz 6 marijuana
(1995)
Dielman, 1,505/ Alcohol Resistance Students with prior use 26
Shopel Leech & Grade 7 training show less alcohol use and
Butchart (1989) misuse
Hansen & 2,135 / Alcohol, Resistance Self regulation and refusal 12
Graham (1991) Grade 7 tobacco, training; social skills + social norms
marijuana norms; resistance teaching
training + social
norms;

Johnson et al. 1,607 / Tobacco, Comprehensive; Reduced cigarette and 36

(1990) Grades 6- alcohol, school program + marijuana use
7 marijuana parent
involvement +
community
activities + mass
media 16
Prevalence of Mental Health Disorders in Indian Children (Mental Health Research in India)
FEW STARK
REALITIES
Health Promoting Schools Framework

WHO-2002
CBSE – Comprehensive School Health
Programme (CSHP) …… A policy landmark
Skills-based Health Education & Life Skills
OTHER
PLANNING PYRAMID FACTORS

Health &
GOALS Related GOALS

Social
HUMAN RIGHTS GENDER
Issues

OBJECTIVES OBJECTIVES
Behaviors & Conditions

CONTENT Knowledge + Attitudes + Skills CONTENT

(Life Skills & other Skills

METHODS
METHODS
Teaching and Learning Methods

OTHER
INFLUENCES PARTICIPATION
DIMENSIONS OF HEALTH
 Education for Social and Emotional Competence

There is growing research showing that:

 Social and emotional learning programs significantly

improve students' academic performance
(Timothy p. Shriver and Roger P. Weissberg aug 16 n.Y. Times)

 Emotional intelligence and interpersonal skills are

important factors in professional success in adult life.
 (www.eiconsortium.org/research/what_is_emotional_intelligence.htm)
 Education for physical well being
Entails cultivating healthy body, mind and healthy life style
in students by offering knowledge, activities and
experiences.

Health literacy and awareness of the relationship between

physical well-being and the mental, emotional, social and
spiritual dimensions.
The Key Areas for enhancing PSYCHOSOCIAL
CLIMATE of a school
1. Providing friendly, rewarding & supportive
atmosphere
2. Supporting cooperation & active learning
3. Forbidding physical punishment & violence
4. Not tolerating bullying, harassment &
discrimination
5. Valuing the development of creative activities
6. Enhancing family - school partnership
7. Promoting equal opportunities & participation
“Perceived Barriers” to Health Promotion
in Schools
• Few health promotion programmes are well planned and
structured and linked to life skills
• Lack of specialist health educators/providers in
curriculum and co-curricular health aspects
• Most curriculum does not offer health education or health
promotion as part of their degree or subject component
• Pedagogic sensitization inadequate
 PARADIGM SHIFT…..
‘The School Counselor Interface’
YOUTH CULTURE

PEER CROWD

PEER GROUP

DYAD

SELF
Peer led interventions
Innovative methodology for life skills
• Identifying prominent psychosocial
issues in school context.
• Counselor training in specific life skills
• Identification of peer trainers
• Continued interaction with the core
resource team, with research
paradigms
PEER EDUCATORS…
IDENTIFICATION OF PEER EDUCATORS

 Leadership quality
 Motivation

 Psychological orientation
 Peer acceptance
 Consistent school record
Peer Educators – How Do They Work?

• Convey educational messages to a target

group.

• Endorse “healthy” norms, beliefs and

behaviours in their group model and
harmonize

• Challenge “unhealthy” behaviours and

beliefs.
 The Journey of Life Skills Based CSHP
…..Peer Led Facilitation
Peers are a demographic bonus to development in schools

 Peer Education has been as an approach, a communication

channel, a methodology and a strategy.
Integrated in many areas of public health, reproductive and sexual
health, nutrition education and substance abuse, HIV/AIDS
education, gender education.
Peer Education as a modality is still to find spontaneous acceptability
in the school education system, particularly in India, in spite of very
good practices evidenced.

Emerging good practices need to be collated for sustainable

involvement of peers in educational reforms
 Expressions India
The Life Skills Education & School Mental Health Programme
Peer Master Trainers Batch ( 2008 – 2009)
 “Never doubt that a small group of committed
people can change the world. Indeed, it is the only
thing that ever has.”

~ Margaret Mead~
Innovative Life Skills for Health and Wellness
in Schools

~ A short film ~
(Excerpts from the International Young Film Makers Festival
(May, 2010, New Delhi)