JAIPUR: Rajasthan Education Minister Ghanshyam Tiwari on Wednesday announced introduction of "life skills education'' in all schools across the State from the upcoming academic session, while affirming that it would be the first course of its kind to be added to the school curriculum anywhere in the country.

The Rajasthan Board for Secondary Education has prepared a textbook for the subject in association with the State Government's Medical and Health Department as part of the National Rural Health Mission. The United Nations Population Fund has (UNFPA) also rendered help in the project.

Releasing the textbook at a press conference here, Mr. Tiwari said it would be taught to the students of 11th standard in the Government schools and would be supplied free of cost to all recognised private schools. The textbook has been prescribed in the syllabus after an elaborate exercise of survey and field test covering over 57,500 students and their parents.

The instructions in the subject cover three broad areas of realisation of the self, significance of health, and the future life. Emphasis will be laid on giving a creative orientation to one's capabilities and inculcating a positive outlook towards life.

Mr. Tiwari said the skills sought to be developed among teenagers would include empathy, dealing with emotions, self-awareness, coping with stresses, effective communication, interpersonal relationship, decision making, problem solving and creative and critical thinking.

The Minister affirmed that the new subject, that throws light on physical, emotional and psychological changes during adolescence, could not be equated with the sex education. "Its scope is wider. It goes beyond the biological aspects and encourages teenagers to develop a holistic vision of life,'' he said.

The RBSE has started four-day training programmes for teachers to apprise them of special needs of adolescent students.

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