On 27th and 28th November 2021 Gonpada Navjeevan Welfare Trust organized a seminar for the rural teachers of Manoharpur, Ranisorai and Tarurui Panchayat at Dibyo Bani Nikaten Gonpada from 9.30 am to 4.00 pm. The seminar was organized to guide the teachers on their role in the classroom and beyond. Respected Dr. Sacaria Joseph, Prof. of English Department, St. Xavier’s College, Kolkata was the resource person for the seminar. The special invitees for the programme were- Dr. Sacaria Joseph, Professor of St. Xavier’s College, Kolkata; Dr. Bharat Bhusan, Chief Technology Officer of TATA Metaliks Kharagpur; Mr. Aurobindo Kumar, Deputy General Manager of TATA Metaliks Kharagpur; Mr. Manas Ghosh, Ranisorai Panchayat Pradhan; Fr. Kashmir Kujur, Parish Priest of St. Arnold’s Church Bezda; Fr. Naveen Prashanth Pinto, Principal of St. Arnold’s School, Salajpur and Fr. Lawrence D’ Almeida, Secretary of Gonpada Navjeevan Welfare Trust. The chief guest in his speech quoted that apart from the family, a teacher also plays an important role in a student’s life. A teacher can become the role model for a child and help in shaping his/her behavior and personality. The cultural event was followed by the seminar. During the seminiar, the resource person addressed the participant with a question on “What should a student become”, for which he said that every student has a desire to be something but first he/she should become a good human being. Apart from the socio-economic factors, the resource person also presented other factors that negatively affect a student’s overall growth and development like- obesity, consumerism, substance abuse, social media, depression and juvenile delinquency. He touched upon the different ways in which a teacher can influence a student to chase his/her dreams:
Through presentations, videos and real-life examples of Oprah Winfrey, Einstein, Walt Disney, Michel Jordan, Susan Boyle, the resource person created a learning environment for the participants. On the final day, the teachers were felicitated with certificate of participation by Mr. Ananta Mandi, Sabhapati of Dantan- 1 Panchayat Samiti, Dr. Sacaria Joseph, Prof. of St. Xavier’s College Kolkata and Fr. Naveen Prashanth Pinto, Principal of St. Arnold’s School, Salajpur.