The Hindu

• The children were presented a rose each
• DDPI asks parents to monitor their wards' progress
• Students took out a jatha prior to the function
• Programme held to mark commencement of this academic year 

Mangalore, May 31: Eighteen children, who set foot on a school premises for the first time in their lives, were welcomed with roses. Thanks to an initiative taken by the Mangalore city range Block Education Office and the Department of Public Instruction, these children were made to feel at home in a new environment.

The occasion was the district-level formal commencement of the academic year 2006-07 organised by the Education Department authorities at the Dakshina Kannada Zilla Panchayat Higher Primary School, Gandhinagar, here on Tuesday, May 30. The eighteen students were admitted to first standard were presented a rose each to welcome them.

The happiness on the faces of these children was there for all to see. Unmindful of the fact that a function had been organised to mark the occasion, the children seemed to be preoccupied with the roses they received.

Their excited chatter even forced Deputy Director of Public Instruction Philomena Lobo, who inaugurated the programme, to pause and share their enthusiasm.

Noting that students did not receive such a warm welcome during her days as a student, Philomena said the objective of organising such a function was to ensure that students found coming to school a pleasurable activity.

"Students can achieve a lot by learning when their mind is filled with happiness. This is not possible if the whole activity is made to look burdensome."

Advising teachers to ensure that students were taken care of in the regulated school environment compared to the freedom they enjoyed back home, Philomena urged parents to ensure they monitored the progress of their wards.

"Your words of encouragement and interest in the activities of your children will go a long way in motivating them to come to school," she said.