Why Schools should create social responsibility to drive change?

A school plays a vital role in the child’s development. Children get their formal education in a school. Schools need to promote the education which is meaningful and has to be fit into the framework of the society. Today’s children will grow up and become future adults of our society. Hence if today’s children are not made aware of their social responsibility towards the community then the social issues or problem will grow more and more. There is an urgent need to foster strong mental and social health amongst today’s children so that they can connect with their peers, their elders, the community, the environment, etc. School education must empower children to be active citizens, caring, responsible and compassionate human beings. As the children spend most of the time in school, hence schools must promote the activities to sensitize children towards social responsibility to bring positive change in the society. If we want to succeed in changing the surrounding or the world better, the schools have to create opportunities of social responsibility for the students in the classroom. John Dewey very rightly said that Education is not a preparation for life but is life itself.

Here are few reasons why schools should create opportunities of social responsibility for children to drive changes:

1. Students need to be aware of the society or the community or the world.
Children who are in school now will grow up to be adults and citizens of this interconnected and rapidly changing society.

2. Students need to be aware of the dynamics of the socio-economic relations, cultural norms and differences in the society. If the children know the things around them then only learning about the initiatives taken for driving change will help develop insights among the students to understand issues such as scarcity of water, gender equality, peace, right to education etc.

3. Students must be the active participants in spreading social awareness.

4. Students must be encouraged to actively participate in solving problems and issues in the society. Schools have to design projects either group or individual to integrate social awareness into the regular curriculum. The projects may include environmental issues, civic responsibilities, democracy, health and hygiene etc. The projects must be designed to generate interest in the students to participate keenly and come up to a solution of a problem.

5. Students must learn and develop socio-psycho skills, social values such as empathy and compassion.

Schools need to develop values such as empathy, compassion, respect, honesty, care and concern etc in the students.

6. Students should think not only from brain for cognitive development but also think from heart for the social issues. When schools create opportunities for students and engaged in social responsibility based projects then the children learn social values which are needed in a human being.

7. Students are inspired to take action
Teachers shape the mind of the children. When teachers are involved in designing social empowerment work in action projects for the students then the students get inspired to take action to make positive changes in big or small ways.

8. Students must be made aware about how the issues growing the society affect their own daily lives, whether that is on human trafficking or establishing approaches to use and preservation of natural resources. When that understanding happens, children can be inspired to take action, resulting in sustained progress.

School as a community can be a powerful force for achieving the UN’s vision of a more peaceful, healthy and equitable world. Hence the schools must take up the ownership to create opportunities for the children, inter-woven into the curriculum, which leads them to be agents of changes in the society for its betterment.