Practical skills such as financial literacy and time management are essential for a career-driven environment while traditional academic subjects are not necessarily preparatory for the student’s future. I agree with the fact that schools should focus on practical skills, however, academics should not be neglected.
Firstly, practical skills can be integrated within traditional academic subjects, which are essential for providing a basic understanding of the student’s surroundings, to ensure a balance between the two disciplines. A subject like math inevitably demands calculations, which can be substituted for financial based lessons. This way, a student will be able to practice both skills interchangeably as they are almost inextricably linked together without having to neglect either. Another example could be integrating rigorous subjects with time management skills. Students would be taught how to divide their time to fit certain assignments and tasks into certain hours of the day. Consequently, neither skill nor knowledge is lost as both are infused into an intellectually stimulating syllabus.
Secondly, practical skills and academics are both of equal value. Though one would think that skills like financial literacy are useful, especially in an economically driven society where one would be expected to employ them in paying taxes and what not, academics are essential to providing students with a basic preparation for a university degree or a career. Knowing how to manage your time would always come second to knowing how to communicate or write effectively in English. Additionally, a student would find it difficult to seek a medical degree without knowing the principles of what he’s being taught from sciences and maths. All of these foundational concepts are just as essential as practical skills.
In conclusion, people shouldn’t focus on one thing and leave the other. Students should be taught critical and practical skills in schools alongside traditional academics as both can benefit students.