Teachers of personal and social development are giving talks to parents about the topics dealt with in this subject, and to our disappointment we still encounter parents who are not even aware that the subject exists.

PSD deals with the development of skills. You cannot fix a machine without the necessary tools - and it's the same with life. To deal with it you need the appropriate skills.

Academic achievement is very important. We are living in a competitive society and need to get results if we want to find a good job. But reaching the highest level of education without knowing how to communicate effectively, deal with relationships, make the right decisions and solve problems would hardly lead to fulfilment in life.

This is our target for our students. We put a lot of stress on self-esteem, self-awareness, communication, relationships, sexuality, responsibilities, moral issues, values, human rights, assertiveness and all types of abuse. We discuss problem-solving strategies and decision-making skills. Apart from discussion, we use a lot of activities that encourage student participation, such as ice-breakers, role-play, physical and mental exercises, relaxation techniques, disclosing and processing.

We want to reach all ages. PSD lessons first started in forms one, two and three, were extended to primary classes, and now include form five too. Our desire is to also reach students in post-secondary schools because we feel that this is a very critical age.

The pressures these students are under include self-image, exams, social and spiritual issues and various expectations. We are sure that PSD can be of great help to them in the formation of both character and identity, and can also relieve them from the stress they are carrying. Taking decisions is a crucial responsibility at this stage in life and they would be given the opportunity to discuss, analyze and process everything with us.

It's the age of trying to build a new identity. They want to become independent and feel secure in whatever they do. However, they realise that it's not an easy task so they turn to friends or partners for support. Sometimes parents tend to come second because their interest would mainly be to please friends.

Indeed, as PSD teachers our main concern for them is peer pressure. We would want to be sure that they do not allow negative influences to lead them in the wrong directions. Unfortunately, a lot of youngsters are ready to do anything in order to feel accepted by their peers. It's also a period of experimentation, and the risk is that they will experiment with the wrong things.

A lot of students find it difficult to accept all the changes that are happening to them, and some of them even have suicidal thoughts. We believe that PSD is vital at this sensitive age. At the least, there would be professionals helping them process their emotions.

I know that this is also a very difficult stage for parents. They feel they are losing control over the children and have nightmares that something bad will happen to them.

The best thing parents can do is have open communication with their children. Listen to them and show them you are trying to understand what they are passing through. Try not to be overprotective or, at the other extreme, too permissive. Try to be their friend so they will feel comfortable to disclose their thoughts and emotions.