Joint Schools Development Education Conference Bratachari India 2011
Opening remarks by John Alexander, teacher from John Scottus school Dublin
Good morning to you all.
This is our second annual Development Education conference.
Development is something that starts in the here and now and with ourselves. It then moves out into our community.
Today and tomorrow we come together to celebrate our humanity with all the opportunities this presents for development. These two days are a precious time to explore issues that challenge us as individuals and unite us as human beings. We start with a 'getting to know you session' and then go on to explore vital questions of gender discrimination and our environment.
This is first and foremost your day .... a time to get to know yourself and each other better. But we will also explore wider issues such as global warming and its impact on our home, this planet Earth.
One student, Tara wrote of her 10 days in the Sunderbans: "why have we Westerners changed our way of living so much that life is more expensive, damaging of our environment at such a speedy rate and yet we are still not happy? Why can't we live our daily lives without wanting? I don't know about you but I, as a sixteen year old girl, always want something more, not need, WANT. The people of the Sunderbans taught me lessons. They taught me 'be happy with what you have. Use it to the full. They taught me gratefulness and friendliness. They opened us up so much over the ten days."
So in this spirit of friendship and openness let us explore each others understanding and common humanity.
One of the principal aims of Worldwise, the Irish Aid organisation sponsoring this conference is " Communication, learning and building friendships: communication and ongoing contact between groups is central to linking, with the aim of partners learning about each other, about global issues, going an increased understanding of each other, exchanging experience and building relationships of friendship"
By the last session tomorrow we should have a plan as to how we can continue into the future the bond that we will make during this conference between each other and between our schools.
REPORT by Principal of Bratachari Secondary School, Mr Asit Ghosh
A SCHOOL LEVEL INTERNATIONAL SEMINER ON DEVELOPMENT EDUCATION
A 2 day School Level International Seminar was held on Development Education, Global warming ,Climate change and Gender equality on 17th February & 18th February 2011 at Bratachari Vidyasram (H.S), Joka.The seminar was inaugurated by Sister Cyril,Principal,Loreto Day School ,Sealdah.
The students of John Scottus School, Dublin, Ireland, Loreto Day Schools, Sealdah,
Raghudevpur Elokeshi Aikatan Balika Vidyalaya and Bratachari Vidyasram (H.S) took part in the seminar.
They took part in the group work to have an idea regarding Development Education, Global warming and Gender discrimination. They also expressed their views regarding the above issues. At the end of the seminar they published the charter that they hope to follow to establish the communication among the students of the four schools, to build the friendship amongst them to make the Linking project a success. They emphasized that grass root involvement is necessary to build up the friendship.
The Headmaster and Headmistress of local schools, educationists, Members of the Managing committee attended the opening function.
Sri Asit Ghosh, Headmaster, Bratachari Vidyasram (H.S) the convener, presented the welcome address and Sri Kaushik Sengupta; Teacher of Bratachari Vidyasram (H.S) presented the vote of thanks.
On the second day the groups discussed amongst themselves the gender issue and published the paper suggesting the remedies of the issue.
In the post lunch session Dr Sujib Kar,H.M. Ganipur Sitala High school presented a key note address regarding Global Warming.
After the presentation the students presented the feed back relating to Global warming, and right to education. Then the students presented a colourful cultural function .Finally they sang the national anthem of both the countries and the seminar was ended.
Lastly the Irish students took part in a friendly football match against the students of Bratachari Vidyasram.
