Hub Meeting of Counsellors

Garden High School IISER Kolkata Campus, under the aegis of Satikanta Guha Centre for Culture and Learning, hosted its first Hub Meeting of Counsellors as an event under the ‘CBSE Hub and Spoke School Model’ on Wednesday, 25 September 2025. The theme of the Meeting was ‘Handling Failures’.

Prof. Anuradha Bhat, Dean of the Wellness and Welfare Wing, IISER Kolkata, along with three clinical psychologists from IISER Kolkata led the first session.

The second session was led by Dr. Sukanto Sarkar, Head of the Department of Psychiatry, AIIMS Kalyani, and Dr. Kumari Rina, Assistant Professor, Department of Psychiatry, AIIMS Kalyani, along with two resident doctors from their department .

The speakers highlighted how schools often celebrate success while overlooking the role of failure in learning. They discussed the genetic, social and psychological causes of mental health struggles and explained the link between brain development and resilience. The need to move beyond academic appraisal towards a “pedagogy of failure,” alternative grading, and healthy classroom practices was stressed. The session concluded with the message that failure, when addressed constructively, strengthens growth and confidence.

The meeting was joined by 7 counsellors and senior teachers from the invited Spoke Schools:
Satish Chandra Memorial School, Chakdah,
Chatterjee Noble School, Birnagar,
Shantipur Public School, Shantipur,
Techno India Group Public School, Nabadwip,
JRS Public School, Palpara,
Bhakti Vedenta, Nabadwip, and
Delhi World Public School, Kalyani.

The session was highly interactive, with representatives from each school sharing their cases, followed by brainstorming discussions. An activity plan was also adopted. The three-hour session was chaired by the Principal, Mrs. Ratna Biswas.