ATNN, Kolkata: In a landmark stride toward holistic education, Loreto College, Kolkata has unveiled its inaugural ‘Life Skills: Train the Trainer’ programme — a visionary undertaking that positions the institution as a trailblazer in life skills education, not only within its campus but across the city. Cementing this initiative, the college formalized a partnership with the Indian Association of Life Skills Education (IALSE), Chennai, through a Memorandum of Understanding signed on June 20, 2025. This collaboration is expected to unlock new pathways for research, training, and capacity-building across India.
The MoU was officially endorsed by Dr. Sr. A. Nirmala, Teacher-in-Charge of Loreto College, alongside Dr. A. Radhakrishnan Nair, President of IALSE, and Dr. Gauri Hardikar, Vice President of the same. This marks the college’s first formal alliance with a national body dedicated exclusively to life skills development—an area of growing relevance in today’s educational landscape.
With a focus on empowering young individuals to navigate life’s complexities with confidence, the collaboration aspires to foster a culture of informed decision-making, articulate communication, emotional intelligence, and self-reliance. The agreement paves the way for national workshops, joint research ventures, and outreach programmes aimed at embedding life skills into the wider educational framework.
The five-day workshop, held from June 16 to 20, 2025, served as the cornerstone of this transformative journey. Titled “Life Skills: Train the Trainer Programme”, the session was spearheaded by the Life Skills Committee of Loreto College under the aegis of the B.Ed Department. It brought together a diverse cohort of educators representing schools, NGOs, and academic institutions from across Kolkata and West Bengal.
Over the course of the programme, participants engaged in an immersive pedagogical experience that blended theoretical insights with hands-on learning. Anchored in ten core competencies—including empathy, self-awareness, critical thinking, and emotional resilience—the curriculum was designed around five key thematic modules. Collaborative discussions, reflective practices, and experiential learning techniques empowered educators to internalize and deliver life skills instruction more effectively.
Attendees left the training with not just refined teaching strategies, but also enhanced personal growth, heightened communicative abilities, and a deeper understanding of how to cultivate emotionally agile, well-adjusted learners. As education evolves to meet the demands of a rapidly changing world, this initiative by Loreto College stands out as a bold and necessary move—redefining teacher education by placing life skills at its very foundation.
