Aligning with the National Education Policy 2020 recommendations on holistic development of learners, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has integrated life skills, health and well-being education as a curricular practice. This initiative aims to foster self-confidence, eco-sensitivity and a lifelong learning mind-set among students. CBSE is committed to fostering a supportive and nurturing environment where the students can feel comfortable in seeking help; and as a transformative leader for 21st century life skills, resilience building, and be ready to offer peer support.
To promote life skills and well-being among students the schools may initiate the following actions:
- Developing life skills and well-being centers in the school. Schools may develop the life skills and well-being centers in the school with peer educators students and teachers and plan the activities discussed in the ongoing CBSE Adolescents PeerEducator Program.
- Establishment of peer educators teams in schools for awareness and empowerment of life skills, mental health and well-being: For the expansion of the peer educators network for life skills & mental health, the schools may make a team of 6 to 8 peer master educators of students from senior classes. These students may be nominated by rotation quarterly for doing various activities to create awareness for life skills, mental health and well-being.
- Sustainable Promotion of life skills, mental health and well-being centre: To enrich the efficacy of the planned intervention, schools can share the reports of the workshops, articles, periodic newsletters, and short videos regarding peer leader life skills and well-being activities with the CBSE at the link https://forms.gle/MWUWBUe3R2shbGLC9
To provide a platform for schools and to facilitate life skills, mental health and holistic wellness as integral components of education CBSE has collaborated with Expressions India to establish the online Adolescent Peer Educators Leadership Program. The peer educators have been inspired and given empowerment to become change agents through participation in this leadership program. The primary objective of this program is to equip and empower students to create a participatory climate for behavioural change and adaptation. It aims to foster an inclusive environment that supports the psycho-social well-being and development of life skills in children and adolescents across the country. In pursuit of participatory growth of life skills & well-being, a National Adolescent Summit on Life Skills, Mental Health, Safety and Well-being was organized by CBSE from 19th to 21st December 2023 at National Bal Bhavan, New Delhi.
