Date:28/12/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/12/28/stories/2008122858220200.htm

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

“Influence youngsters through actions”

Staff Reporter

CHENNAI: A parent has difficulty controlling his 10-year-old, while a child is scared going home with a failed report card. Topics or concerns most of us hear or read every other day.

But when Lalitha Chandrasekar, principal of DAV Girls Senior Secondary School, spoke about it, the gathering of senior citizens sat up and reflected.

Dignity Foundation, as part of its Dignity Dialogues initiative, organised a talk on ‘Education and Social Responsibility’ at the Automobile Association of Southern India here on Friday.

Whether it was talking about the influence of television on the young minds or other matters which sounded simple and basic, the small group got nostalgic. Talking from her experience as a teacher, Ms. Chandrasekar said: “Family is the first teacher for the child.” That probably explained why such a topic was chosen considering that children confided a lot in their grandparents.

“We need to influence children through actions. And education with value can bring about the difference. Children should be made to reflect upon what they are taught,” she said.

Noted dancer V.P.Dhananjayan, who was the special guest, said human refinement was the right kind of education. “We need to revamp the education system to instil right values in young minds.”