Education dept starts course on self-esteem, body confidence

Jaipur: The Rajasthan State Council of Educational Research and Training (RSCERT) has started a course on self-esteem and body confidence for students of Classes 6-8 to explain to them the changes in their bodies through a set of comic books.
The course was first started in Barmer and Dungarpur districts as a pilot project along with UNICEF and teachers received positive response from students.
Officials said the comic books had now been digitised and were being uploaded on a department portal, accessible to all teachers so that the information can be shared with students across the state.
A workshop regarding the programme was conducted at RSCERT in the presence of secretary school education Krishna Kunal on Tuesday.
“It is important that children feel confident about themselves and to aid that process this content has been designed. The comic books, which were available in physical form, have been digitised now so that teachers across Rajasthan can inculcate self confidence in students and help them grow with positive self image,” said Kavita Pathak, director of RSCERT.
After the pilot project, the programme is being implemented in Ajmer, Karauli, Udaipur and Alwar in the second phase.
Under this programme, state, district, and block-level teacher training sessions have already been organised by RSCERT and 10 sets of comic books and a guidebook for teachers has been distributed to schools. The activity-based course is taken up on Saturdays in govt schools under the No Bag Day initiative.
“It is crucial to work with adolescent students on the topic of self-esteem and body confidence because new dimensions are added to their personality at this age. This program will enhance their self-respect and clarify their understanding of gender-related issues,” said Kamlendra Singh Ranawat, deputy director of RSCERT.