A student’s life — Academic study or social awareness?

MAY 2016 TOPIC: Is a student’s life only for academic study or also for building up awareness on social issues?

What we learn in our school days leaves an indelible impact on our lives. During this stage of our life we form and reform views on the different aspects of life. We need to be prudent, when we think of social awareness for students. Such awareness could be promoted if it can motivate the student to think and act in favour of development and progress.
Saurabh Mishra (18)
St Joseph’s College, Allahabad

Along with academic studies students should be aware of social issues. It plays a very important role in shaping the behaviour of a person in society. Students are the future leaders of the country. Academic studies without adequate social awareness the youth cannot be the perfect leaders of tomorrow. Social awareness is important both for leaders and individuals in society.
Divyakriti Masaun
Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh

The best phase in the life of a human is the student phase. It is a time when a person imagines, discovers and works out ways to make up his/her identity. Inculcating social awareness in this phase enables the students to depict societal conditions in a modern way that can efficiently challenge norms and modify perceptions of people. However, academic excellence is equally important as our country needs qualified persons in its course of development.
Bhoomika Sharma (19)
Sophia Girls’ College, Ajmer

A student is not only meant for academics but also for raising awareness on social issues. I feel more than anybody else students are more aware about social issues in this ‘Global Village’. Students’ response to the Nirbhaya case in Delhi and the recent happenings in JNU are examples of that. Students are interested not only in academics but also in awakening people on various social issues.
Agnes Pinto (18)
St Xavier’s College, Mapusa

Today’s student is tomorrow’s society. I believe that it is very important for a student to be aware of what is going on in the society. If a student has proper social awareness, he can play an important role in the days to come. Practical knowledge and study of current situation are more important than bookish knowledge.
Karishma Wadia (17)
St Joseph’s ET High School, Bilimora, Gujarat

Of course, students should not be confined to just academic achievements. Social awareness speaks a lot about attitude and personality. One cannot survive simply with bookish knowledge. A basic understanding of what’s happening in and around world enhances our knowledge, and helps us to get a finer perspective in life. Awareness on social issues improves a person’s savoir faire.
Aarti S. Agrawal (18)
SRM University

Without the awareness of the problems the world is facing, the knowledge of Mathematics and Science is useless. The youth can bring about changes in the social situation. But without social awareness how can students with the best grades and a bunch of formulae in their heads be beneficial to human society?
Harshita Rawat (16)
St Anthony’s Jr College, Agra

In this 21st century you need to be socially aware of what’s going on inside and outside of your country’s borders. It helps you to form an opinion which would help you in participating in competitions and debates and to contribute actively in socially-oriented programmes. Social awareness can bring a sense of responsibility towards the nation among the youth and India is waiting for such youth who will alter the future.
Alina Ali
St Anthony’s Jr College, Agra

Students by nature are dynamic, energetic, adventurous, and can attract and convince others by their way of going about things. School and colleges can be the right places to shed light on many social issues. It can have a ripple effect — from students to their peers, then to their families, friends and relatives, then the locality. “Ignorance is no longer bliss, awareness is.”
Infancio Pires
Don Bosco, Goa

Undoubtedly, the prime aim of a student’s life is academic study. Being energetic, youthful and full of new ideas, they can play an important role in building up awareness on social issues. As they are the future leaders of our nation, the awareness of the nation’s social issues will promote growth in all sectors of our nation so that our nation could be one of the most powerful and harmonious nations of tomorrow.
Manika Mittal (17)
St Anthony’s Jr College, Agra

The purpose of education is not only to prepare students for a career but also to create awareness about social issues. Such an education would be beneficial for both the career and the welfare of society. Academic knowledge with sufficient social awareness improves a student’s ability to make use of knowledge to remove the unhealthy elements from society as well as to strengthen and encourage all that is good for society.
Sarthak Sanjay Mundane (15)
Fatima Convent High School, Achalpur

Today’s students are regarded as future global citizens. Therefore, education should lay emphasis on major world events, impact of emerging global trends and their effects on different areas of our life. Such an education would help students identify the advantages and disadvantages of a given situation, to form the right perceptions about society and to apply effectively the theories learned in the classrooms.
Suraj Agarwal (19)
K.P.B. Hinduja College of Commerce, Mumbai

As citizens of this country it’s our moral and social responsibility to be aware of social issues like child Labour, caste discrimination, dowry system, women abuse, cyber crimes among others. Yes, it is the goal of every student to get success in their academics but we should also be aware of these issues.
Pooja Gorakh Shikhre (18)
KBP College, Navi Mumbai

The current situation in our country has generated political leaders from school and college campuses like JNU and Hyderabad University. Students have shown themselves to be strongly affirmative in setting new social reforms and disseminating social awareness especially through social media. In the ‘information society’ and ‘easy access to public platforms’ era, it is imperative for students to be aware of social issues.
Alruba Sheikh (20)
IP College for Women, New Delhi

No, denying social awareness is not good for students. A student is not supposed to spend his/her full time on academics. Opportunities must be given to make use of their skills and to better them. They must be aware of their society and the problems prevailing in it. Such awareness will help students face social realities with practical knowledge and skill.
James Noronha

Academic learning will not be of any benefit if we don’t know what is going on around us.  Without proper knowledge about the happenings in society and their effect on individuals we can’t take the right decisions on different social issues. Students with social awareness will be able to judge effectively what is happening around them so that they can’t be misled by the wrong things in society.
Yatharth Verma (18)
Kashipur

A student while studying for his regular academics not only gains an education but he/she also builds up an environment in which he has to be aware of one’s surroundings. In this process, a lot of views are formed by the student about current social issues and solutions to them are also thought of. A student in the current world is not just a student, he is also a remedy for the prevailing problems when he himself is aware and spreads the awareness about important matters concerning society. As it is rightly said progress increasingly depends upon the products of educated minds — research, awareness, innovation and adaptation.
Huzefa Wahid (19)
The IIS University, Jaipur

The best thing about the present educational system is that its content addresses many of the social issues plaguing the world today. Because of this, students are certainly aware of such issues. But not much is done to make others aware of it. I feel students have a strong voice and the ability to make themselves heard. And that is what awareness is about in the first place — being aware and being heard. But being aware as well as making others aware of it will make the ultimate difference.
Sagarika Kothavale (17)
A.D. Joshi Junior College, Solapur