A comprehensive session on ‘Pastoral Care’ in residential schools was steered by the esteemed educationist, Ms Jyotsna Brar, on 29th March in the auditorium for the staff. Ms Brar, the ex-principal of Welham Girls’ School, Dehradun, the founder-principal of Rajmata Krishna Kumari Public School, Jodhpur, and with a career in teaching spanning three and a half decades, has served on the governing bodies of Education boards and several eminent schools of the country. At the workshop, she enunciated in depth the pivotal and decisive role of pastoral care in the development of a child during formative years in a residential school. As it takes a village to raise a child, she further elucidated the role of men and women staff as father and mother. During the experiential session, Ms Brar busted the myths about pastoral care and dwelt on the challenges of an adolescent who gropes for balance in his or her language and cognitive skills, motor skills, and emotional and physical growth and cautioned the attendees against the regimented systems that leads to stereotypes and denominational beliefs about a child. She reiterated the importance of the pastoral tools of a safe environment, communication, recreation time, socio-emotional care, and many more that would rekindle hope even in the most desperate child and set him/her on the path of holistic growth.
