The debate over whether schools should teach life skills or not in today’s digital era has long been a topic of discussion, with some people thinking it is not necessary to teach students about life skills as children can learn skills such as dressmaking, cookery and woodwork from their family or friends. While instructing teenagers about life skills might be useful in student’s life, I strongly agree with this viewpoint given that these skills can be learned in life situations and schools do not have enough time and recourses to teach these skills.
Academic subjects can lead students to be more successful in this competitive world that life skills could not replicate. Teaching academic and modern subjects like mathematics and languages provides wide range of opportunities for teenagers and enhance their knowledge. They offer deep knowledge, academic success in their field which are crucial in their future career and personal life. By contrast, learning life skills can gives some benefits, but it is almost impossible to be successful in this competitive world with dressmaking or woodwork. For instance, by studying subjects which can be useful in the future such as Information technologies (IT) can guarantee good future as many people who had studied these kind of subjects have their consistent income and job these days, however it is difficult to have good future by learning life skills. In this sense, studying academic subjects is indispensable in providing opportunities, which sharply contrast with learning life skills.
On the other hand, critics argue that children should learn life skills equally with academic subjects as they can be useful during their life. They believe learning life skills such dressmaking and woodwork, provide more opportunities along with academic subjects. However, while acquiring knowledge about life skills presents some benefits, but it cannot open doors to world as academic learning does. Therefore, studying only academic subjects at school can be much better than learning life skills.
In conclusion, although acquiring life skills at school can give some advantages, but it cannot replicate the role of academic subject for the future. Considering these, I firmly assert that only academic subjects should be taught at school instead of studying subjects associated with life.