Youth who own a mobile phone are around twice as aware of the term life skills as compared to those without access to a mobile

New Delhi – 15 Dec, 2023: A complete survey, titled ‘The Voices Survey’ has supplied beneficial insights into the state of life skills training in India. The survey goals to perceive the consciousness and perceptions of life skills amongst youth, dad and mom, faculty academics/ ITI Trainers, and trainers in Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) establishments. The survey was collectively carried out by Life Skills Collaborative in partnership with Breakthrough, Quest Alliance, and Pratham Education Foundation.

The Voices Survey 2023 was carried out throughout 11 districts in states such as Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Uttarakhand, Haryana, and Mizoram, the survey gives a nuanced understanding of the challenges and alternatives confronted by the youth with regards to life skills training.
Rukmini Banerji, Chief Executive Officer, Pratham Education Foundation stated:

“The findings from ‘The Voices Survey’ underline the pressing want for initiatives that provide our younger folks alternatives to perceive and purchase life skills. The public training system has a essential function to play in enabling this. Importantly, the survey revealed that the majority youth who had been acquainted with life skills had heard about them from their academics, illustrating the essential function of public training methods in integrating life skills training into the curriculum.”

The survey employed a multi-method strategy, combining quantitative indicators with qualitative exploration by way of focus group discussions. A complete of 15,856 youth and 13,806 dad and mom had been surveyed by way of family visits, offering a complete understanding of their views on life skills. Additionally, 2,366 faculty academics participated in the survey, offering beneficial insights from an educator’s perspective.

Key findings of the survey are as follows:

Experience of vocational/talent coaching

The survey reveals that 80% of the surveyed youth in rural India are but to pursue vocational or talent coaching, emphasizing a important skills hole. Computer programs stand out as the best choice amongst those who have undertaken coaching. Notably, gender disparities exist, with 39% of younger girls choosing vocational coaching compared to 33% of males. Regional variations are obvious, with 96% of youth in Lunglei, Mizoram, missing vocational coaching, whereas 44% and 43% in Solapur and Satara (Maharashtra) have pursued such programs. These findings level to the urgent want for focused efforts to deal with the skills hole and regional disparities in youth vocational coaching alternatives.

Access to Digital Devices

The survey reveals a pronounced reliance on smartphones amongst rural youth, with 92% of those surveyed reporting the use of smartphones, significantly for communication (92%), leisure (95%), and training (88%). Rural youth, particularly older males, leverage smartphones not only for leisure but additionally for academic functions, emphasizing the gadget’s multifaceted function of their lives. It is attention-grabbing to word a marked rise in the class of “studying new issues” amongst younger girls. Nearly 67% and 77% of 14-18 and 19-22 age group feminine youth, respectively, reported utilizing their telephones to study new issues as compared to 44% and 51% of male youth in the respective age group.

Around 90% of the sampled older youth (19-22 years) had access to mobile telephones whereas solely 71% of the youthful youth (14-18 years) had access. There is a marked gender hole in access to mobile telephones. Among the older youth, for instance, simply 5.5% of sampled males had no access to mobile telephones, however the corresponding proportion amongst females was 3 times larger at 16.3%.

Youth who own a mobile phone are around twice as aware of the term ‘life skills’ as compared to those without access to a mobile. Similarly, youth who know the way to use a pc are around twice as a lot acquainted with the term than those who don’t.

Sohini Bhattacharya, Chief Executive Officer, Breakthrough stated:

“Listening to ‘Voices from The Ground,’ is a necessary half of ensuring that the work that we are doing is definitely significant for the communities we are partnering with. Here contributors discover important competencies like communication, essential considering, problem-solving, emotional intelligence, and resilience; influencers and gatekeepers add to the inspiration, encouraging attendees to combine life skills into their day by day lives and communities study to worth the information we collect from them, see for themselves the outcomes on the floor and react to it”

Exposure to News/Mass Media

While virtually 80% of rural youth have interaction not often (49%) or by no means (31%) with information, older youth (19-22 years) present larger day by day publicity (13%) compared to their youthful counterparts (6%). However, gender variations in information engagement are marginal. There is an evident hole in information consciousness amongst rural youth, suggesting a chance for focused interventions to enhance their access to present affairs and various data sources, to enhance the adoption of life skills programs.

Life Skills Awareness and Perceptions amongst Youth

The examine explores youth’s consciousness of life skills, revealing that roughly 4 in 10 youth have heard of the term ‘life skills’ or ’Twenty first-century skills.’ Age, training stage, and access to digital units affect consciousness. Overall, 41% of youth are aware of life skills or Twenty first Century Skills, with older people (50%) extra knowledgeable than youthful ones (38%). Awareness varies throughout districts, with Karnal (61%) and Jhajjar (55%) in Haryana displaying the highest ranges, whereas Gorakhpur (13%) in Uttar Pradesh has the lowest. There are no gender variations general, however in Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh), males (42%) are extra aware than females (28%), whereas in Satara (Maharashtra) and Dehradun (Uttarakhand), the reverse is true.

Sources of Life Skills Awareness

Teacher steering (65%) and faculty textbooks (36%) emerge as the major sources of life skills consciousness amongst rural youth. Variations throughout age teams spotlight the significance of focused academic methods. Collaborations with educators and academic supplies may improve youth publicity to life skills ideas. Challenges in studying life skills embody a lack of information, supplies, and restricted discussions at residence and faculty. A scientific strategy to life skills training is required, addressing challenges and tailoring content material to the particular wants and perceptions of various youth teams.

Aakash Sethi, Chief Executive Officer, Quest Alliance

“The Life Skills Collaborative gives a platform the place a number of organizations can come collectively to be sure that life skills turn into an integral half of formal training. This unified platform amplifies collective voices, and helps set benchmarks and requirements for life skills. It additionally guides authorities our bodies in constructing curriculum and assessments according to these requirements. Additionally, it persuasively advocates the necessity of these skills to thrive in the Twenty first century.”

Life Skills Awareness amongst Parents

The surveyed dad and mom, significantly moms, show restricted consciousness of the term life skills. More than one-third of moms had by no means been to faculty, and solely 21% had heard of the term life skills. Fathers, with a larger training charge, confirmed a extra important consciousness (over 35%). Parental consciousness gaps underline the want for focused consciousness campaigns and inclusive household education schemes.

Parent Access to Mobile Phones and Usage

Gender disparities in mobile phone access persist amongst dad and mom, mirroring traits noticed in the youth demographic. Only half of surveyed moms own mobile telephones, contrasting with over 80% of fathers. Additionally, girls have much less access to smartphones, with notable variations in utilization patterns. Gendered patterns in mobile phone access underline the significance of addressing know-how gaps to guarantee equal alternatives for all dad and mom.