Whether or not schooldays are the happiest period of one’s life is a much-debated topic and different people from various backgrounds have varied opinions about it. However, I strongly believe that schooldays are the happiest days of our lives.

When we are in school, we have no responsibility, except to study. Our parents manage the house completely and all the real world problems that come their way in doing this. This means that we do not need to worry about where our next meal is coming from. For a larger segment of the school-going children, even the daily household chores, such as washing the dishes and clothes, are all taken care of by parents during their school years.

Schooldays are the time when we gain valuable knowledge. We get to learn about various subjects that we would never have the time to learn about in adulthood. On a basic level, we gain an understanding of the world by studying all kinds of different subjects from history to science. Adults with full-time jobs usually have less time for leisure reading. This enables us to better understand and enjoy the world we live in. We later get to choose certain subjects that we particularly liked and gain an understanding of them in order to have a successful career. If we have truly chosen what we love, this path will be fun for us and we will cherish gaining new knowledge.

One also gets to socialise on a daily basis. Thus, school gives us memories with our peers to cherish. Most long-lasting friendships are formed during our school years. We may, as adults, look back on the blissful days of bunking classes, swapping lunches, or playing pranks on one another. In fact, according to a study conducted by The New York Post, almost 80 percent of people claimed their childhood days to be the happiest.

It may be argued that there is too much “pressure” on students and that they get negatively affected by poor marks. However, this helps to prepare them for later life when they may have to face far greater traumas. If they break down in tears after scoring poorly in a science examination, how will they handle greater setbacks when they enter practical life as adults?

Life is like a heavy duty, strength-building workout. School days are the warm-up exercises designed to prepare us for a very intense adulthood, followed by a cool down period in our old age. We can then relieve our school years through a more active participation in our grandchildren’s lives.

Published in Dawn, Young World, September 3rd, 2022