UP schools to teach students the power of saying 'No'

THE ABILITY TO DECLINE REQUESTS POLITELY YET FIRMLY IS A SKILL THAT CAN PROFOUNDLY IMPACT ONE'S WELL-BEING AND PRODUCTIVITY, SAY EXPERTS

- K Sandeep Kumar

PRAYAGRAJ: Teachers across 4,512 government-aided and 2,460 government secondary schools in Uttar Pradesh will now train students of classes 9 to 12 in the art of saying 'No', as part of lessons on effective communication and life skills during regular classes.

Experts of the Bureau of Psychology, UP, have prepared a new teachers' guide for 'enhancing communication skills among students', which includes teaching them the art of refusing something that they do not wish to do or agree with, inform officials of the state secondary education department.

The phase-wise training of teachers has also been completed in this regard. Now from the new academic session of 2025-26, these teachers will not only teach the nuances of communication skills to children but will also teach students when and how to say 'no'.