Education today stands at a crossroads. As artificial intelligence transforms how we learn and live, the very essence of education is being reimagined. Are we preparing young people merely to compete, or to connect? To master technology, or to master themselves?
Educators and policymakers everywhere are rediscovering a timeless truth: intelligence opens doors, but empathy keeps them open. Emotional intelligence, the ability to understand and manage emotions, to lead with compassion, and to act with integrity is emerging as the most critical skill of the 21st century. It bridges knowledge and wisdom, between information and understanding, between success and significance.
When IIT Madras announced its new “Centre for the Science of Happiness” to help students cultivate positivity and resilience, it raised a crucial question: Can emotional intelligence be taught in our classrooms? The move signalled a growing realization that education must go beyond grades and IQ to include emotional awareness and well-being.
In India, immense academic pressure has produced exceptional engineers, doctors, and scientists, but also a rise in anxiety, burnout, and even student suicides. Something vital is missing in our curricula. As Rabindranath Tagore once wrote, “A mind all logic is like a knife all blade. It makes the hand bleed that uses it.” Pure intellect without empathy can wound both self and society.
The time has come to integrate empathy and emotional intelligence (EQ) into every stage of education. Knowledge and IQ teach what and how but it is empathy-led EQ that teaches why, guiding us to use knowledge wisely, ethically, and humanely.
For decades, our education system has valued intellectual achievement and exam performance over emotional development. Yet evidence increasingly shows that EQ is just as critical as IQ, if not more. Psychiatrist Dr C . John notes that in today’s stress-filled world, many high achievers “fail to cope with stressful situations,” while those with strong emotional intelligence are better able to adapt and thrive.
A landmark Harvard study found that individuals with average IQs often outperform those with higher IQs because of their superior emotional and social intelligence. Overemphasis on rote learning while neglecting emotional growth, has contributed to growing mental health concerns among youth. Philosopher-president Dr. S. Radhakrishnan foresaw this imbalance, writing that education must include “the refinement of the heart and the discipline of the spirit.”
True education, therefore, must develop both intellect and empathy producing not just brilliant minds, but balanced, ethical human beings.
Empirical research now confirms that emotional intelligence is a measurable, teachable determinant of learning success. The QS I-GAUGE Institution of Happiness Report (2023–24), based on feedback from over 150,000 students and 18,000 faculty members, found that institutions emphasising empathy, peer connection, and mental health recorded higher motivation, academic performance, and engagement. The report highlights how a focus on emotional well-being creates environments where learners flourish both academically and personally.
Global organisations echo this. UNESCO’s Happy Schools Framework (2016) identifies happiness, empathy, and emotional safety as indicators of education quality. Its India-based institute, UNESCO MGIEP (Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Education for Peace and Sustainable Development), has pioneered social and emotional learning (SEL) through innovative initiatives like SELF (Social Emotional Learning Framework) and SEEK (Social and Emotional Empowerment Knowledge), which help students cultivate mindfulness, empathy, and resilience.
Alliance University, among India’s early adopters of the SEEK program, has integrated MGIEP’s SEL framework into its teaching and mentoring systems to help students build emotional literacy and mental balance alongside academic rigour. Such initiatives reflect a growing shift in Indian higher education from producing merely knowledgeable graduates to nurturing emotionally intelligent leaders.
The United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG 4) explicitly calls for “inclusive and equitable quality education” that fosters emotional well-being and global citizenship. Similarly, the OECD Education 2030 Framework lists self-awareness, empathy, and collaboration as foundational competencies for lifelong learning. The World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs Report (2023) places emotional intelligence among the top five employability skills for the next decade.
Complementing this global evidence, a Harvard longitudinal study spanning over 75 years revealed that emotional intelligence contributes more to leadership success and life satisfaction than technical ability alone.
These findings underline a single truth: emotional well-being is not a luxury it is a cornerstone of educational excellence.
Emotional intelligence, encompassing self-awareness, empathy, regulation, and social skills, enhances both academic and professional outcomes. A CareerBuilder survey found that 59% of employers would not hire someone with a high IQ but low EQ, and 75% would promote a high-EQ employee over others.
The reason is simple: emotionally intelligent individuals stay composed under pressure, resolve conflicts constructively, and make ethical decisions. In workplaces increasingly shaped by automation, these human skills are irreplaceable. EQ is the bridge between competence and compassion, efficiency and ethics.
When integrated early in education, emotional intelligence can significantly strengthen classroom outcomes. It helps reduce bullying and fosters healthier peer relationships, while also improving students’ mental health by enabling them to manage their emotions more effectively. Emotional intelligence encourages inclusivity and respect for diversity, creating a more supportive learning environment. Moreover, it enhances academic performance by boosting students’ focus, motivation, and overall engagement in learning.
Far from being a distraction, emotional education amplifies the very outcomes we value most academic excellence, ethical leadership, and social harmony.
Fostering emotional intelligence serves not just individual success but societal well-being. At the personal level, emotionally aware learners become resilient adults who can navigate uncertainty, sustain relationships, and make balanced choices. At the collective level, empathy-driven education builds citizens who value equity, sustainability, and cooperation.
A global empathy study ranked India near the middle among 60 nations, revealing ample scope to strengthen emotional literacy. Embedding empathy in education can transform this trajectory, creating a generation of citizens attuned to both local and global challenges.
From climate change to social justice, many crises today stem not from lack of intellect, but from lack of empathy. Emotional intelligence equips future leaders to combine innovation with integrity to act not only with reason, but with care.
Encouragingly, India’s education policy landscape is evolving. The National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 calls for holistic, multidisciplinary learning that integrates ethics, empathy, and well-being. Many educational boards and universities have begun embedding social-emotional learning, mindfulness, and reflective practices into their teaching frameworks.
Frameworks like QS I-GAUGE Institution of Happiness now provide benchmarks to evaluate and improve emotional well-being on campuses. These approaches—rooted in both ancient Indian wisdom and modern psychology—are redefining success as a blend of intellectual achievement and emotional balance.
As I often tell young educators, “The purpose of teaching is not merely to fill minds with information, but to awaken hearts to understanding. Emotional intelligence is where knowledge meets compassion, and that intersection is where true learning begins.”
To scale these efforts, policymakers and educators must treat EQ as a core curriculum, not a co-curricular. Teacher training should include empathy-based pedagogy, while assessment systems should evolve to value social and emotional competencies alongside academic mastery.
As India builds its knowledge economy, it must remember that knowledge without kindness is incomplete. Mahatma Gandhi envisioned education as a means to bring out the best in mind, body, and spirit. Today, neuroscience, psychology, and global policy all affirm that emotional intelligence is fundamental to that vision.
The true purpose of education is not merely to produce a workforce, but to nurture wise, compassionate human beings. Emotional intelligence is not a “soft” skill—it is the most vital one for a humane and sustainable future.
In the end, the heart of education is the education of the heart. By embedding empathy and emotional intelligence across all levels of learning, India can shape leaders who are not only the smartest in the room but also the kindest, capable of building a future guided by both intellect and integrity.
Educating with empathy is no longer a philosophical ideal. It is a practical necessity for the well-being of individuals, institutions, and nations alike.
(Written by Abhay G Chebbi, Pro-Chancellor, Alliance University)
