Krishnagar, Oct. 26: The Nadia District Primary School Council has scripted an audio drama and advised all the 2643 primary schools in the district to perform it to create awareness among parents to resist them to build pressure on their children to match their expectations.
The council thinks that it is high time the parents should restrain themselves to put their wards into unhealthy competition which regularly taking toll on their physical and mental health.
In an attempt to get rid of the problem, the council has prescribed ‘First Boyder Deshe’, a small play that would make the parents realize their mistake.
The 20-minutes audio drama written by council chairman Ramaprasad Roy, a high school teacher by profession, is now being prepared to be performed in front of the parents so that they could learn how they would act and handle their child.
“We have often observed that personal and psychological problem in children begins with anxiety and the pressure of competition which the parents often build on them. Parents mostly have high expectation from their child. If a child finds that he has not equipped enough to match expectations of parents, his anxiety doubles up. The parents should know that everyone cannot be ranked first, they should help their child to enjoy the learning”, Roy said.
So with an objective to build up an atmosphere of ‘joyful learning’ at home, the Roy scripted the play, which depicts how a father realized his mistake of putting pressure on his son.
“Drama is a great medium to convey a message. So I decided to communicate in such a way so that a large section of parents who never visited schools, but have expectations from their children could understand the message”, said Roy.
Soft copies of the script have been mailed to all the schools with the advice to perform it involving parents.
“The play has eight characters which include teachers and a parent couple apart from students. We have advised the schools to involve parents as actors and to ensure their presence during the performance, Roy added.
To reach larger audience in the society, the council has meanwhile got the play performed at different cultural programme of the state government.
“Our aim is to find way to de-stress the children. The parents can do this at home’, Roy added.
Bhola Seikh, of Palashipara, whose daughter Maman Seikh, a student of class 2 said, “It is a great initiative. Sometimes I also put pressure on my daughter. But, I was wrong”.
Headmaster Abhoynagar Prathamik Vidyalaya in Tehatta Shafiqul Islam said, “The children now bear huge pressure of curriculum. Nevertheless, we as teachers try to make their learning joyful, fearless. But, pressure of competition kills them mentally. They try their best to bring smile on the face of parents but failed making a toll on their mental health”.
Head, department of psychiatry at College of Medicine, Kalyani, Professor Kaustabh Chakraborty, said, “The competition among the primary school children is very much unwarranted. Competitive mind does not grow up among children in so early age when they read at primary schools. It is the parents who inject this competition in their mind, which is very unhealthy. If parents want their kids physically and mentally strong, they should encourage them participate without any pressure. They should be encouraged to participate in academic and social events. This will develop the child’s participation skill, communication skill, and confidence”