‘Principals backbone of education’

Parveen Arora
Tribune News Service
Karnal, October 10

A special seminar for school principals was organised by The Tribune Group of Newspapers, in collaboration with Chandigarh University, on ‘Building Moral intelligence’ on Thursday in the city. As many as 60 principals, academic coordinators of various schools of Karnal, Panipat and Kurukshetra districts participated in the meet. 

Speaking on the occasion RS Bawa, Vice-Chancellor, Chandigarh University, emphasised on the need to inculcate moral intelligence among students. “In the present scenario that is marked by cut-throat competition, students do not abide by rules and want to win at any cost. They do not follow values and ethics. Over expectation of the parents can also cause stress among the younsters, so it is the duty of principals, teachers and parents to instil moral values among pupils,” said Bawa while exhorting the principals to understand the relevance of the topic.

The VC further added that it was the duty of schools to inculcate values and enhance the moral intelligence quotient of students. “Principals should create awareness about professional and career avenues available for students and help them understand their surroundings in a better way,” he maintained.

Bawa stressed on the need to hold such meets and said interaction among principals of various schools would help mould pupils’ future in a better way. He advised parents to discourage their wards from excessive use of mobile phones and questionable websites. “Teenagers should not be exposed to social media too much,” he said, adding that it disturbed the students’ concentration and distracted them from focussing on academic and professional goals. “It (mobiles and social media) ultimately affects the creativity of students,” he added.

“We should make students more committed to family, societal and national values. This is possible by making them sensitive to core values such as respect for all human beings and treating everyone with equality irrespective of caste, creed, complexion and gender. Students should be able to empathise with the people in need or those suffering from any kind of physical and mental agony. They should have humility  and stay grounded even after achieving the greatest things in life. They should understand that the value of giving lies is sharing resources, both monetary and intellectual, with others, as well as observing social ethics. In a nutshell, there is a need to inculcate moral intelligence in the early years of learning,” he summed up. 

Key speaker CS Talwar, Secretary-cum-CEO, Indian Red Cross Society, Punjab state branch, lauded the efforts of The Tribune and Chandigarh University. IAS officer (retd) Talwar said principals were the backbone of education. “If a teacher is the nation builder, then principals are motivational engines, propeller and monitors as they can bring about changes in the institution,” he said.

“The idea to bring them together and have interaction on the topic of building moral intelligence is a great effort, which is relevant for modern society. I am happy and feel honoured to be invited as key-note speaker here. The significance of moral intelligence becomes vital due to moral degeneration and loss of values in society,” he said, adding that neglect of such important issues in the past has led to degradation of character and resulted in rampant corruption in almost every aspect of life.

Principalspeak

The session on moral intelligence was an eye opener for principals. It is in the hands of school leaders to ensure that value education is given the importance it deserves in the curriculum. Ramesh Lather, dyal singh public school, Karnal 

Moral intelligence is the ability to be able to differentiate between right and wrong. It is a pertinent aspect of students’ personality that can be honed if parents, teachers work together. Subey Pratap, gurukul, Kurukshetra

We are fortunate to have attended the session. Value education is important for the overall development of students and transforming them into responsible citizens. RC Gandhi, victor international school, Barsat

I appreciate the effort to highlight the significance of compassion in one’s life. All schools should dedicate a day for giving, so that pupils can feel the joy of helping others. Puja Waalia Mann, partap public school, sector 6, Karnal

I am impressed with the session that aimed at inculcating moral values among students through principals. Such events should be organised regularly for the benefit of pupils. Sudarshan Sharma, guru teg bahadur public school, Karnal

The principals got a platform to brush up their knowledge on moral and spiritual aspect of education. The schools exercise an important role in shaping the future of children. Col PS Bindra (retd), st kabir public school, Karnal