Emotional Intelligence (EQ) and Students
Problem:
In Pakistan, students are encouraged for cramming academic books to score higher marks while no work is done for their Emotional Intelligence (EQ) affecting their personal growth, communication skills and social skills. Being emotionally literate will allow them to be confident, communicate better, identify their problems, face challenges and make decisions.
Background:
Students often find themselves imprisoned in a cage of anxiety, stress and confusion. They mainly focus on cramming the books while not being clear in the concepts only for the sake of high scores in examination. During assignments, assessments, project work, and exam week, they are mostly anxious pre-occupied and are unable to understand their impulses. They fail to control their emotions thus, behaving inappropriately afterwards. They find it difficult to know about their passion drives and choose a career. Their personality does not refine with time as they gain no self-awareness and self-regulation at academic institutions. For not having social skills, they cannot manage their relationships effectively with their families, friends, teachers, professional body, and not even with themselves.
Objectives:
My aim is to educate and create awareness about Emotional Intelligence in students.
I will be working on 5 skills devised by Daniel Goleman:
1. Self-awareness (Self-confidence, self-assessment, mood swings, emotional drives, personality type etc.)
2. Self-regulation (Acceptance, growth mindset, integrity, trustworthiness etc.)
3. Internal motivation (Commitment, aims, passion to achieve in the face of challenges, optimism etc.)
4. Empathy (cross-cultural sensitivity, Helping nature, service, team work compassion etc.)
5. Social skills (relationships management, leadership, persuasiveness etc.)
Due to COVID-19 situation, we are not allowed to step out rather instructed to work from home through online platforms. My plan involves to conduct Zoom sessions on this topic on weekends. Also, I will write blogs in this regard and make a page on social apps. When the conditions will be favorable, I will conduct seminars in the academic institutions in this regard. I also plan to devise a one-month course in future on Emotional Intelligence for students.
Initiative steps:
Being a student, I contacted my mates and cousins. They highly agreed to the fact of being anxious pre-occupied and having no insights about Emotional Intelligence. I also contacted with my professor, Sir Atif Mirza, who teach us on Personal Development subject. He is a life coach and trainer. He himself is working really hard for this purpose and has been successful for conducting number of seminars in schools, colleges and universities. He also shared his part of striving hard to include a course in universities for Personal Development (Successfully did it in Punjab University).
Another professor and clinical psychologist, Ma’am Saima, happily shared her views in this regard. She shared her experience of researching on the mental health of students and adults. How they cope up with their relationships and career options. She encouraged me and also, offered her help whenever I need for this noble cause.
Experience:
When I interviewed my professors and some students, I was feeling happy and highly motivated head over heels. I had this spark in me that Yes! This is something extremely important. We can make a lot of difference by working on Emotional Intelligence.
