Jamshedpur, Jan. 21:Students of XLRI under the banner of Samarthya � The Human Potential Centre, a student body dedicated to the cause of development of potential of school students of Jamshedpur, organized Reflections, the 5th annual parents-teachers and students conference at XLRI Jamshedpur on Saturday, January 21.
This time, Reflections was organized with the theme of �Connect or Disconnect�, which is very relevant for parents, teachers and students in the present context.
The event opened with the lighting of the ceremonial lamp by chief guests Dr. Sanjay Agarwal, Fr Peter, Ronald D�Costa, Mrs Sudipta Banerjee and Samarthya Convener Smriti Shekhar.
The event started with inaugural address by the dignitaries present. Dr. Agarwal, known for his work in the field of psychology, spoke about sexual predators and depression in children due to cyber bullying.
He also made the students as well as parents and teachers aware of the online exposure to pornographic images and revenge seeking relationships.
He cautioned parents to not curtail access to electronic devices but educate them about moderation in use. He paralleled the use of technology and its connect/disconnect to that of a knife – it could save lives in a surgeon’s hands but spell disaster in the hands of a murderer.
Mr. Ronald D�Costa emphasized the need for college students like those of XLRI to connect with young students more, since the age gap between them and their parents usually makes it embarrassing and difficult for parents to perceive the issues of their teenage kids. The children are also hesitant to discuss their problems with teachers and parents.
Reflections 2017 saw a lot of enthusiasm from around 100 participating students, teachers and parents from around 10 different schools including Loyola, DBMS, DAV, Narbheram, St. Mary�s, Rajendra Vidyalaya and others.
The inauguration was followed by focus group discussions between parents, teachers and children, facilitated by Mrs Sudipta Banerjee, Father Raja and Swastika, on topics related to social media fad amongst children today, the benefits and flaws of being digital natives and how useful or justified it is.
The discussions fostered better understanding among the groups and as they indulged in various team building activates that involved understanding and interacting with each other, the importance of physical connect was exemplified.
Sister Marie Eugene from Sacred Heart addressed the closing ceremony with the message of being human and not losing the connect with our dear ones and using the digital world in moderation as it is indispensable in today�s times.
The event concluded with great insight by Fr Peter, Head CEMLR, under whose able guidance the event was planned and who is actively involved in research work on improving the education system.