"We need to equip our children for skills that are most needed today": Education expert

The nation celebrates National Youth Day on January 12 every year to celebrate the power that the young inherently possess to steer the destiny of a nation. Education expert and founder of the pioneering online pre-school chain, TreeHouse, Rajesh Bhatia believes the youth can make a massive contribution to the upliftment and progress of a nation, provided they are equipped right from childhood with the skills that are most needed today. He says, "On National Youth Day, let us resolve to prepare our kids for an exacting, demanding job market. Today, more than ever before, conventional education and careers are being phased out by adaptive, flexible vocational skills that are needed by global employers. The number of educated youths who are unemployable is very high and we need to ensure that these skill gaps are addressed right from the schooling phase."

He believes children are today facing social, cultural, and psychological challenges that no other generation has encountered and for this reason, they must be empowered from a young age to fit right into a fast-evolving world with not just soft skills but a real understanding of how various industries work. He adds, "That is why we have introduced vocational courses for school-going students who can, from a young age, gauge their interests and on leaving school, pursue careers that they already have a basic understanding of. Be it local businesses or multinational corporations, employers want to update digital and technical smarts along with academic excellence. Global citizens must be great communicators, creative thinkers, potential team leaders, and adroit problem solvers and it is our job to make our children ready for these roles. "

He also points out how the digital gaps and the absence of equitable education access have already deprived countless children of even basic education. He says, "If we want a demographic dividend that really adds to the economic prowess of the nation, we must take care of all our children and educate them without exception. Today, let us resolve to not leave anyone behind and give our children every single tool to not just survive but thrive in the post-pandemic world."