Virtual induction program for first year students

The virtual induction Program was held at St.Thomas College for all the first year students of B.Com, B.Sc, B.A, B.B.A, BCA and BAJMC. The chief guest of the occasion was Manager Bishop of the college, His Grace Dr. Joseph mar Dionysius. His Grace blessed the students and enumerated on the present education scenario. His Grace further emphasized the students to focus on their target with proper planning and discipline. His grace in his speech stressed on the present situation of pandemic and asked students to fight against this covid-19 disease together and win success on it .  The whole fraternity felt blessed by his grace presence on the new beginning of the new Academic session. The College administrator Rt. Rev .Fr George Mathew Ramban also graced the occasion with his esteemed presence and congratulated students for their new beginning of virtual College Life. Principal of the college Dr. M.G. Roymon accorded a warm welcome to the students and inspired them to make diligent efforts and create a niche for themselves. The details of various activities, clubs and Book Bank facility was presented through power point presentation by Dr. Susan R. Abraham. Students were acquainted with the various facilities available in the College. The NCC and NSS Unit of the College were also introduced to the students and were made aware about the importance of the respective units virtually. Sharing the views about the College Dr. Mariam Jacob, Head, and Dept of Economics acquainted students with various activities of the College and asked them to take this pandemic Era positively and welcome their present session. The program was conducted by Dr. Susan R. Abraham and Vote of thanks was proposed by Dr. Sheeja Verkey. The program Broadcast manager is Mr. Michael Fernandez, IT Head, MGM Group of Institutions.

UNLOCK NEP 2020 : e- Workshop on National Educational Policy

The New National Education Policy (NEP 2020), which was launched on Wednesday, 29th July, has been the hot topic for the past couple of weeks. In order to understand the various nuances of the NEP 2020 an e-Workshop was organised by Association of Chhattisgarh Christian Educational Societies (ACCES) & MGM Group of Educational Institutions , Bhilai.

The webinar named Unlock NEP 2020 commenced with the opening remarks by  Fr. Dr. Joshi Varghese, Secretary, ACCES & Education Officer, MGM Group. He stated that NEP 2020 is based on the pillars of “access, equity, quality, affordability, accountability”.  It also attempts to align to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development Goals of United Nations. He gave a bird’s eye view of the overall changes which has been proposed in the New Education Policy 2020.

H.G. Robert Ali, Bishop of CNI Chhattisgarh Diocese,   welcomed the Resource persons and participants of the e – workshop.   H.G. Dr. Joseph Mar Dionysius Metropolitan, Vice President, ACCES & President of MGM Group,   emphasised the importance of an educational Policy in a developing country like India. He stressed on three important facets of National Heritage on education,  present educational requirement and also the future scope and challenges in the field of education.

The first technical  Session was on  School Education and NEP led by  Fr. Sunny Jacob SJ, Secretary , Jesuit Education of South Asia. He gave a detailed analysis of the vision and principles of NEP 2020. He explained in detail the various structural changes proposed in NEP and also the prospects of  holistic development of Learners.

The second Session focused on Higher Education and NEP. Fr. Dr. Paul Pudussery, former H.O.D, Don Bosco University, Guwahati threw light on the different changes brought in the new policy. He spoke on the scrapping of UGC and formation of Higher Education of commission of India (HECI) and on He threw light on the. It was also highlighted that similar to the abandoned Four Year Undergraduate Programme of Delhi University, the four-year programme proposed in the new NEP, also offers multiple exit options after every year of study. The system of Academic Bank of credit is hoped to help the students to mould their academic and career paths.

H.G. Dr. Victor Henry Thakur, President ACCES & Archbishop of Raipur in the his concluding remarks welcomed the bright areas of the NEP. It was also pointed out that if the ambiguity in certain areas are not cleared, it may lead to problems during the stage of implementation.

Vote of Thanks was proposed by Fr. Maneesh Anthony who is serving as the Education Secretary of Jagdalpur Diocese and Principal of Prakash Vidyala, Kirandul. The workshop Broadcast Manager is Mr. Michael Fernandez, IT Head, MGM Group of Institutions.

Online Workshop on Art Therapy

St. Thomas College, Department of Psychology conducted an online workshop on Art Therapy. The students of psychology attended the workshop to learn practically how art therapy a form of psychotherapy, is done. These are latest interventional techniques that use the theoretical ideas in a very contemporary healing process. The workshop on Art therapy was conducted by Mr. Indraneil Chaudhary, a Psychotherapist and Expressive Arts Therapist with the Co-Bear Collective, Delhi. He is trained in Arts Based Therapies from World Centre of Creative Learning (WCCLF) Pune. Mr. Indraneil Chaudhary used the case study method to explain the modalities of Art Therapy.  With the stress and tensions faced by all in such difficult times as today, the importance of healing processes has increased manifolds. Art therapy brings out hidden pain from the unconscious by using paper and pencil. Psychology students will benefit only when they learn the application of concepts and practically use it in counseling process. Principal Dr. M.G. Roymon appreciated the efforts taken by the department of Psychology to keep students abreast with the latest theories and even though no classroom teaching is going on. HOD, Dr. Debjani Mukherjee has planned series of online lectures and workshops for psychology students, to keep their interest on the subject alive during the lockdown. Dr. Sumita Singh, Assistant professor hosted the session and gave technical support also.

CPOSH: One Day Panel Discussion webinar on “Gender and Sexual Harassment.”

St.Thomas College Bhilai under the aegis of Committee for Prevention of Sexul Harassment (CPOSH) organized a one day panel discussion webinar on “Gender and Sexual Harassment” The webinar mainly focused on the issues relating to sexual harassment within the college premises and providing safe environment . The welcome address was shared by Principal of the College Dr. M. G. Roymon. He discussed the importance and awareness to stop sexual harassment and ensure the safe environment to the students and faculty. The chief guest of the discussion was Hon’ble Dr. Aruna Palta, vice-chancellor Hemchand Chand Yadav University ,in her key note address  madam  discussed about the sexual harassment cell which is  the need of the hour for any institution  and throughout the world. She, in her words stressed on the condition of the women in today’s era and their difficulty in facing the challenges rather being excelling in their profession she further highlighted on gender discrimination and the condition of women who are always accorded in lower status of world. Her key word for this webinar was all about Gender inequality which is not a women issue but human issue.

The dignitaries of the Panel Discussion on the screen were Mrs. Pragya Meshram Add Superintendent of Police, ASP Bhilai Nagar,Durg, advocate Mrs Vaishali Tikle Practicing Lawyer,Mumbai High Court (MS), Dr. Debjani Mukherjee, Head Dept of psychology  with the host Dr. Aparna Ghosh, Convenor of CPOSH, St. Thomas College Bhilai. Giving the opening remarks and introduction of the programme of the Convenor and organising secretary of the event Dr. Aparna ghosh spoke about the indifference between the sex and raised the question on Gender based sexual harassment and violence in front of the panellist. The first panellist Mrs. Pragya Meshram reported the crimes and related gender inequality she also discussed about the third gender inequality and expressed taboo of the society.Adv. Mrs Vaishali Tikle discussed bout the cases which were difficult to handle due to some sensitive issues and forbidden acts, she talked about herresearch and stressed on the Data of 2017 # me to. She further spoke about verbal sexual harassment to women and girl child and trans-gender issues. She also talked about cyber sexual harassment transgender protection prohibition act bill 2019 enactment. Dr. Debjani Mukherjee in her psychological view talked about the social and mental statusof ancient and modern women by quoting the references of lilavati and Thana and talked about the stringent laws and action srelated to workplace. Further the discussion was processed with proper judgement action Posco-Act  and also the awareness of Teachers towards the sexual harassment in school and colleges. Mrs. Pragya Meshram highlighted the applications of Indian law and discussed the goodness of it based on the implementation.The interacting with the participants came out with positive note of wakefulness. the appreciation was applauded by the Management, Dean Academics and other faculty members.  The programme was wrapped up by Dr. Sheeja Verkey Addl. Head Dept of Commerce. The vote of thanks was given by Dr. Chanda Verma Addl Head, Dept of Chemistry.

National Webinar on the Mental Health

The department of sports and psychology St. Thomas College organized national Webinar on the topic “Mental Health – A crucial ingredient for success of a sports person – Efficacy of sports & psychology.” The main theme for discussion was the importance of sports psychology in the world of sports and sportsperson. How sports psychology uplifts the mental health of a sportsperson was deliberated. Mr. P.C Anthony an international coach of basketball from Kerala spoke on the areas in the life of a player that can be impacted positively by sports psychology. Ms. Lalhmingkimi Khiangte, National level hockey player and Team member of International Tournament under 19 Asian Hockey Championship and an actress in Film ‘Chak De! India’, spoke on the need of a sports psychology as a player. She talked about her experiences as a player and how players are benefitted when a trained psychologist takes care of the anxiety and stress of a player. Mr. Dinesh Mishra awarded with IMG Reliance Scholarship, USA, 2011- 2015 and an International and National Level Basket Ball Player also spoke at the webinar. He had been given scholarship to train in Florida, USA where he had experience of training with sports psychologists. Mr. Dinesh spoke about these experiences and how he gained from it.

Principal, Dr. M.G. Roymon welcomed the speakers and participants on the occasion. He highlighted the areas on which sports psychology can be effective. Convener and Head of the department of Psychology, Dr. Debjani Mukherjee, introduced the topic and informed the participants about the positive impact a sports psychologist can have in the mental wellbeing of a sports person. Organizing secretary and sports officer, Mr. Kailash Narayan Verma summed up the proceedings and gave the vote of thanks. Dr. Sumita Singh and Mr. Mahendra Ikhar compered the webinar and Mr. J. Majju and Mr. Michael Fernandez (Broadcast Manager) gave technical support for the smooth conduct of the sessions.

National Webinar on the Mental Health

The department of sports and psychology St. Thomas College organized national Webinar on the topic “Mental Health – A crucial ingredient for success of a sports person – Efficacy of sports & psychology.” The main theme for discussion was the importance of sports psychology in the world of sports and sportsperson. How sports psychology uplifts the mental health of a sportsperson was deliberated. Mr. P.C Anthony an international coach of basketball from Kerala spoke on the areas in the life of a player that can be impacted positively by sports psychology. Ms. Lalhmingkimi Khiangte, National level hockey player and Team member of International Tournament under 19 Asian Hockey Championship and an actress in Film ‘Chak De! India’, spoke on the need of a sports psychology as a player. She talked about her experiences as a player and how players are benefitted when a trained psychologist takes care of the anxiety and stress of a player. Mr. Dinesh Mishra awarded with IMG Reliance Scholarship, USA, 2011- 2015 and an International and National Level Basket Ball Player also spoke at the webinar. He had been given scholarship to train in Florida, USA where he had experience of training with sports psychologists. Mr. Dinesh spoke about these experiences and how he gained from it.

Principal, Dr. M.G. Roymon welcomed the speakers and participants on the occasion. He highlighted the areas on which sports psychology can be effective. Convener and Head of the department of Psychology, Dr. Debjani Mukherjee, introduced the topic and informed the participants about the positive impact a sports psychologist can have in the mental wellbeing of a sports person. Organizing secretary and sports officer, Mr. Kailash Narayan Verma summed up the proceedings and gave the vote of thanks. Dr. Sumita Singh and Mr. Mahendra Ikhar compered the webinar and Mr. J. Majju and Mr. Michael Fernandez (Broadcast Manager) gave technical support for the smooth conduct of the sessions.

Two Day Webinar on “Intellect and Intellectual Property Rights”

The PG Department of Commerce and IQAC of St. Thomas College Bhilai  in association with Chhattisgarh Council of  Science and Technology Raipur has hosted a two day  National webinar as a part of its ongoing series of online meetings .The department organised a  national  webinar on “INTELLECT AND TNTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS held on 6 and 7JULY 2020. The virtual lecture especially focused on the Scope and Insight of Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) addition to highlighting Patents and Trademarks .The chief guest of the webinar was Honourable Vice Chancellor of Hemchand Yadav University  Dr. Aruna Palta and the guest of honour was Dean Of Academics of Hemchand Yadav University Dr.Prashant Shrivastav . The Principal of the college Dr. M.G. Roymon  gave the Welcome Speech. The two day event gathered participants from different states At the end of the webinar, theParticipants had Knowledge  Of IPR and about  Filling  of application  for patent and Patent Invention.

Dr. Amit Dubey (Scientist D ) Joint Director Chhattisgarh Council of Science and Technology was the speaker of the first day he in his lecture discussed about the Basics of IPR and its Scope. The second day was the Technical Session in which Mr. Asish Prabhat  Examiner of Patents & Designs, Indian Patent Office Govt. Of India, New Delhi focussed on Patenting of invention & Career  Opportunity in IPR. The second Speaker was Ms. Anuradha Verma she  Discussed  about the Protection  of Trade Mark In India. The overall two day webinar was conducted by Dr.Sapna Sharma Head Department of Commerc,Dr. Sheeja Varkey and Mr Prateek Sharma. The vote of thanks was proposed by the IQAC coordinator Dr. Debjani Mukherjee on the first day and Dr.Laxman Prasad on the Second day.The Management, the Pincipal the DeanOf academics and the staff members appreciated the department for their successful event.

INTERNATIONAL WEBINAR ON YOGA

Education Department of St. Thomas College, Bhilai organized an International webinar on Managing Mental and Physical health with yoga amid COVID-19.   Honourable Vice Chancellor, Hemchand  Yadav Vishwavidyalaya, Durg, Dr Aruna Palta was the chief guest of the programme and delivered keynote address. She highlighted the benefits of yoga at every stage of life and emphasized regular practice of yoga for young students. Very.  Rev.  Father George Mathew Rambhan blessed the occasion with his encouraging words. Principal of the college Dr. M.G Roymon extended warm welcome to the chief guest honourable VC Dr. Aruna Palta Madam, resource persons and all the participants. Dr. Sheeja Thomas, HOD department of education and convener of the program introduced the resource persons. Dr. Shabnam Khan, Organizing secretary gave brief introduction about the concept of webinar .

The invited resource person Dr. Ramakant Sharma spoke about various techniques of cleansing our system through kunjal, Jal-Neti, Rubber-Neti and Nasyam

Dr.  Premlal Patel enlightened about Ustrasana, tadasana, trikonasana, vakrasana, bhujangasana, matsyasana and kapal bhati kriya.

Dr. Abhishek Agarwal focused on stress management and importance of healthy diet.

Ms. Deepti Santosh conducted the programme and proposed vote of thanks.

Mrs. Rupa Shrivastva, Mr. J Maju, Mr. Chandan P Dekate and all the other faculty members of education department extended their support for smooth conduction of the programme.

INTERNATIONAL WEBINAR ON YOGA

Education Department of St. Thomas College, Bhilai organized an International webinar on Managing Mental and Physical health with yoga amid COVID-19.   Honourable Vice Chancellor, Hemchand  Yadav Vishwavidyalaya, Durg, Dr Aruna Palta was the chief guest of the programme and delivered keynote address. She highlighted the benefits of yoga at every stage of life and emphasized regular practice of yoga for young students. Very.  Rev.  Father George Mathew Rambhan blessed the occasion with his encouraging words. Principal of the college Dr. M.G Roymon extended warm welcome to the chief guest honourable VC Dr. Aruna Palta Madam, resource persons and all the participants. Dr. Sheeja Thomas, HOD department of education and convener of the program introduced the resource persons. Dr. Shabnam Khan, Organizing secretary gave brief introduction about the concept of webinar .

The invited resource person Dr. Ramakant Sharma spoke about various techniques of cleansing our system through kunjal, Jal-Neti, Rubber-Neti and Nasyam

Dr.  Premlal Patel enlightened about Ustrasana, tadasana, trikonasana, vakrasana, bhujangasana, matsyasana and kapal bhati kriya.

Dr. Abhishek Agarwal focused on stress management and importance of healthy diet.

Ms. Deepti Santosh conducted the programme and proposed vote of thanks.

Mrs. Rupa Shrivastva, Mr. J Maju, Mr. Chandan P Dekate and all the other faculty members of education department extended their support for smooth conduction of the programme.

Faculty Development Webinar

P.G Department of English at St.Thomas College, Bhilai and Internal Quality Assurance Cell (IQAC) has jointly conducted an International Faculty Development webinar on: Effective e-Teaching: Trends and Strategies. The webinar focused on the techniques that can be integrated in our teaching learning process to make it more effective. The focus was also on reinventing education by digital transformation. Principal of the College Dr. M.G Roymon extended a warm welcome to the resource person and the participants. The keynote address was delivered by Dr. Vinita Thomas, Dean Academics, (Head, Dept of Botany) St. Thomas College, Bhilai. Madam Thomas shared her views on online learning and emphasized that the faculty need to be competent in their role and possess the skills to positively impact student outcome. The invited resource person for the webinar was Dr. Saji Thomas from University of Oman, Dr. Debjit Roy, IIM Ahmadabad and Dr. Prasanta Roy from Calcutta University. Dr. Saji Thomas spoke on the topic Effectiveness and Impact of Online Learning. He said that the present situation has reinforced the need to adopt innovative ways of getting quality education services accessible at all levels. Dr. Debjit Roy spoke on the topic Case-based Teaching Pedagogy in the Digital World. He spoke about the innovative way of introducing a topic in the class through a case study and making the online class pragmatic and approachable to the students. The psychological impact of online teaching on educators and educated was discussed by Dr. Prasanta Roy. He elaborated on the various techniques through which both the mentors and mentees can balance their stress and anxiety due to online learning and teaching. The Manager Bishop of the College His Grace Dr. Joseph Mar Dionysius, the College administrator Rt. Rev. Fr. George Mathew Ramban, Management and faculty members applauded the Faculty Development Program organized by PG. Dept of English and IQAC of the College. Convener of the webinar Dr. Shiny Mendonce (Head, Dept of English) and Organizing Secretary Dr. Sujata Koley conducted the program. The Co-convener Ms. Susan Ebison supported in the smooth conduct of the webinar. Dr. Debjani Mukherjee IQAC Co-coordinator, (Head, Dept of Psychology) summed up the session and proposed vote of thanks.