Thalir Thiran Thittam (TTT; ; ; ) is a life skills-based educational program primarily designed for children and adolescents. With a motto of "Transformational Change Through Awareness, it was launched in 2008 by Madurai-based Aparajitha Foundations, the corporate social responsibility arm of Aparajitha Corporate Services.Transformation Through Awareness : An organized approach in soft skills training, Aruna Raghuram, Parent Circle, April 2013, p. 24 TTT has provided life skills education to students at 39,498 schools in five Indian states (Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Haryana and Madhya Pradesh) through the state education departments.Seeds of Success, Thalir Thiran Thittam's Newsletter, Aparajitha Foundations, Madurai, October- December 2018 issue, p. 1. Its objective is the development of life skills which are not provided in the regular school curriculum.Dhalavai Sundaram, Pasanga Marittanga! (Children are different / Children have been transformed), Kumudam, Chennai, 8 December 2010, p. 126.

Background The World Health Organization (WHO) defines life skills as "abilities for adaptive and positive behavior that enable humans to deal effectively with the demands and challenges of life."Rhona Birrell Weisen and others, Life Skills Education in Schools, World Health Organization, Geneva, 1994 (Life skills are abilities for adaptive and positive behaviour that enable individuals to deal effectively with the demands and challenges of everyday life.) p. 1. The United Nations' 1989 Convention on the Rights of the Child defined the objectives of child education in sections (a) to (e) of article 29.Convention on the Rights of the Child : Adopted and opened for signature, ratification and accession by General Assembly resolution 44/25 of 20 November 1989 entry into force 2 September 1990, in accordance with article 49 Aparajitha Foundations created TTT in 2008, based on these definitions.

Objectives, structure, and curriculum TTT was created with the following objectives: Dr.S. Preetha, A Study on Evaluation of Thalir Thiran Thittam-A CSR initiative of Aparajitha Corporate Services in selected schools of Madurai district, Tamil Nadu, Bharathiyar University, Coimbatore, 2014 October, Page 36 To equip students to make informed choices by providing them with skills needed to cope with issues and problems related to their survival and well-being To prepare students to become responsible, confident adults, enabling them to have self-esteem To make students fit for the real world in which they would be responsible citizens, contributing to themselves, their families and society at large

The program has six stages: curriculum development, curriculum delivery, programmed implementation, programmed reinforcement, impact analysis and action research.Selvalakshmi and others, Life Skills Program For The Young (Thalir Thiran Thittasm), Thiagarajar School of Management, Madurai, 2012 Its curriculum is divided into 10 sections: 10 life skills, as listed by World Health Organization (WHO): Self-awareness Empathy Interpersonal skills Communication Creative thinking Critical thinking Decision-making Problem solving Coping with emotions Coping with stress) Values clarification Etiquette Time management Goal setting Health and hygiene Gender sensitization Laws of the land Understanding the media Ecology and the environment

Levels Students in grades 1–5 are in the primary-school category, and their program incorporates games, activities and songs.Bharath Krishna Sankar and others, Thalir Thiran Thittam Life skills education: Teachers’ Handbook – Primary Schools, Aparajitha Foundations, Madurai, First edition (2017). Students in grades 6–11 have 120 video lessons.Seeds of Success, Thalir Thiran Thittam Newsletter, Aparajitha Foundations, Madurai, January 2012 issue, pp. 7–8.

Implementation A pilot project was implemented in the 2008–2009 academic year at five higher secondary schools: two in Madurai, two government schools in Tirupathur in Sivaganga district, and one government school in Mallankinaru, Virudhunagar district. TTT was launched on 29 July 2008 at Government Higher Secondary School in Mallankinaru.Life Skills Development Programme at Government Aided Schools, The Hindu, Madurai, 13 July 2013,

After the pilot project, TTT was extended to 2141 government-run high schools and 2018 government higher secondary schools in Tamil Nadu on 1 October 2009.School Education (E2) Department, G.O.Ms. No.255, 1 October 2009. In 2013, the program was extended to government-aided schools. TTT for primary students has been provided at primary and middle schools run by the Madurai Municipal Corporation since 2015.Proceedings of Madurai Corporation Education Officer, Ms. no A3/014652/15 (25 June 2015).

A memorandum of understanding was signed to implement TTT's Gujarati version, Tim Tim Tara, at 489 government-run schools and 6,769 government–aided schools in the 2011–12 academic year.Seeds of Success, Thalir Thiran Thittam Newsletter, Aparajitha Foundations, Madurai, January 2012 issue, p. 2. Since the beginning of the 2018–19 academic year, the lessons have been telecast on EDUSAT.Seeds of Success, Thalir Thiran Thittam Newsletter, Aparajitha Foundations, Madurai, October- December 2018 issue, p. 7.

Another MoU was signed in February 2016 to implement the Hindi version, Tim Tim Tare, at 71 Rajasthan government model higher secondary schools and 1,340 government higher secondary schools in the 2016–17 academic year.Rajasthan Secondary Education Council, Government of Rajasthan, No.221/510, 5 February 2016. Since the 2018–19 academic year, life-skills education has been imparted on EDUSAT.Rajasthan Secondary Education Council, Government of Rajasthan, No.7457, Date 12 October 2018.

Tim Tim Tare (Hindi) was piloted at 270 schools in eight districts of Madhya Pradesh's Indore Zone during the 2016–17 academic year.Seeds of Success, Thalir Thiran Thittam Newsletter, Aparajitha Foundations, Madurai, October 2017 issue, p. 6. The program was extended to other schools in the zone during the 2017–18 academic year.

An MoU was signed in September 2017 to implement Tim Tim Tare at 14,000 Haryana schools in the 2017–18 academic year.Seeds of Success, Thalir Thiran Thittam Newsletter, Aparajitha Foundations, Madurai, October 2016 issue, p, 7. During the 2018–19 academic year, lessons were provided on EDUSAT.Seeds of Success, Thalir Thiran Thittam Newsletter, Aparajitha Foundations, Madurai, April 2018 issue, p. 3.

References

External links Article about TTT in Tamil Wikipedia TTT - An introduction Soma Basu, Lessons from outside the textbook, The Hindu, Madurai, 13-06-2012 Aruna Raghuram, A recipe for success: Developing soft skills in children Thalir Thiran Thittam – Transformational Change through Awareness Thalir Thiran Thittam, transformational program for adolescents - Video Enrichment Programs: Thalir Thiran Thittam