Kolkata: West Bengal Commission for Protection of Child Rights (WBCPCR) chairperson Sudeshna Roy urged parents to allow children chase their dreams instead of pressurising them for scoring higher marks in examinations. She was speaking at an interactive session at St Joseph’s Convent in Chandannagar.
As part of WBCPCR’s plans to reach out to the parents of the state for the all-round development of children, the commission officials attended a meeting organised by the school’s alumni association.
“Now, most children have no siblings and they spend their time with the parents. Be it first generation learners or children with educated parents, they have different kinds of problems created by their parents,” Roy said at the meeting. So, the parents also need guidance and help, she said citing instances from her life when she read a lot of books on scientific parenting before and after becoming a mother.
Urging parents to be educated and trained, the WBCPCR chairperson requested parents to provide proper guidance to their wards on the use of online resources and social networking platforms along with discussing issues including menstruation, pregnancy, gender equality and other life skills.
“This is the first time, that a direct interaction with parents took place. More such meetings will be held where parents can talk about the changing modes and how they should deal with it," she said.
During the occasion, question-answer sessions were held with the commission members and a psychiatrist, Dr Rima Mukherjee. Highlighting the recent death of a student following alleged ragging at the hostel of Jadavpur University, Roy said that the alleged perpetrators were high scorers in their board examinations. “But, they had not undergone character building and value education which resulted into the unfortunate incident. It proves the futility of scoring high marks,” she said.
“Help your children to make mistake, guide them to accept defeat and rebound with more vigour, instead of scolding and victimising them,” she urged parents.
The need for such a session with the parents had been felt by the authorities of the school famed for its legacy of value-based education. “The alumni association arranged this session when it was noticed that parents are now more inclined to academics and marks and not much for these activities,” Sister Anna Maria, Principal, St Joseph’s Convent at Chandannagar said.
The school has a legacy of imbibing value education, extra-curricular activities along with academic curriculum. “A child who paints or recites is as much important as the one who excels in science or mathematics. In this dynamic and changing world, this can only be achieved with the support of the parents and we strongly wanted a parenting orientation,” she said.
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Mandira Bose, president of JAAC said that the alumni also facilitated self-defence and communication sessions for senior students along with this parenting meeting.
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