Anger management at school level can help child in future life
| Date :15-Jan-2020 |
Principal Correspondent :
The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has asked all its affiliated schools to make their campuses ‘anger-free zones’ where everyone — including teachers, parents and administration staff — will try to manage their anger. ‘The Hitavada’ talked to school principals and a psychiatrist on this issue to know what exactly anger free zone means? Whether schools liked the idea or not? Will it really work if child is taught how to control anger? Principals, school directors, psychiatrist came up with great answers. CBSE has issued an advisory to all its schools saying ‘the initiative will help students become mentally active and emotionally healthy and they would go back home charged and happy and would also want to return the next day.’
Some people feel it will help children to become anger-free when they enter into their youths. Prakash Somalwar, Secretary of Somalwar Education Society explained, “The idea is really very good. Schools are expected to conduct several sports activities, yoga and art-integrated classes. This can help in creating joyful learning environment in schools.
The only problem is its effective implementation and maintaining consistency. Our school will surely try to follow it.” Welcoming the idea, Anju Bhutani, Principal of Bhavan’s BVM, Civil Lines said, “The concept is neither student, not teacher gets angry with each other. It can make students inculcate the habit of remaining happy. Anger can lead to many problems and in the past everybody has experienced the ill-effects of anger.” CBSE in its circular has made it clear, ‘In the anger-free zone, everyone will try to manage his or her anger, whether it is the school educators, parents, school personnel or other stakeholders. The best way to teach children the value of freedom from anger is by setting examples ourselves.’
This point was exactly picked up by Shilpee Ganguly, Principal of Centre Point School, Katol Road. “We will go step by step by step. I am aiming at making anger-free dialogue of a teacher and a student. Students and teachers should talk with each other happily. Teachers should kindly look into the mistakes, study the reasons and act upon them. This will set an example for the students. Then we will try to that cordial relationship among students,” elaborated Ganguly. “We will initially hold training for teachers on this issue, set some basic guidelines.
This will create an anger-free environment in school, after which we don’t have to do much. The things will shape up automatically. Of course we will monitor the situation,” pointed out Ganguly. Deaven Dasture, Director of The South Public School and Royal Gondwana Public School informed what schools have to do. “Schools are supposed to display the boards with ‘This is an anger-free zone’ written on it. Such boards will be in the school premises right from the reception to everywhere. Conducting mentoring of teachers, making children do exercise in assembly, sports or arts period, classrooms or laboratories,” Dasture made it clear. But S Prabhuraman, Principal of Saraswati Vidyalaya feels, one should not force such activity upon children. This will not yield any result. Students are to be groomed in a natural way. Creating a particular zone and conducting some soft activities will not work.
We are already burdening the children giving them so much stress. Introducing such activities will add to their woes. Let them live in a natural way, added Prabhuraman. “Happier days in life are always inside the school in that age group. When we identify some problem with a person, always be sure that the person’s schooling was not done in a proper manner. We allowed olympiads and other competitions right from age five which is projected by parents and teachers. Success of students is measured in terms of score. Unfortunately, in our pre-occupied schedules, we keep kids away which is not a good thing,” said S Prabhuraman. From Karate to robotics and artificial intelligence we force them to learn, then approach for remedial courses, added Prabhuraman.
Dr Pravin Navkhare, noted Psychiatrist, “Behaviour problem among children is rising with no solution is in sight. There are counsellors but it might not have worked. In children, lying is the major problems apart from mobile addiction, comparison. They have competition among themselves and the aggression comes out of that feeling. Study stress also comes out of aggression, plus private coaching has stopped them getting relaxed. Anger comes under pathological emotion. Anger management is the part of counselling. It is difficult to guide children on anger issue. There is always a better way to express yourself than becoming angry. Anger is one factor through which one child shows supremacy over the other. I think the initiative is good but how far it is implemented remains to be seen.”