Purnima Kayina distributing stationery for painting competition to children with special needs.
Atono Tsükrü Kense
Kohima | November 14
Besides the grave social, economic and health impact on people around the globe, the COVID-19 pandemic’s silent blow on children of all ages is profound.
With schools remaining closed for months, holistic growth and development in children has also been deeply impacted as most of their social interactions with their friends, peers and teachers were abruptly disrupted.
This was particularly felt on Saturday—a day when most schools, organisations and other social institutions would put together different programmes and activities to celebrate Children’s Day.
Notwithstanding the present crisis, the Nagaland State Social Welfare Board (NSSWB); the District Level Center for Women, Kohima; Mahila Shakti Kendra and Department of Social Welfare under Beti Bachao Beti Padhao, organized a virtual children's day programme for children with special needs.
The programme was organised to give back a little of what the children had been deprived of after the outbreak of the pandemic.
In her keynote address, Sarah R Ritse, Commissioner Secretary, NSSWB, urged the participants to lay emphasis on working towards increasing awareness about education, rights and care of children, especially for those with special needs.
You can change the world
Greeting the children on the occasion, Diethono Nakhro, State Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities, said that this year has been hard for everyone, both young and old.
While it is a fun and happy day, Nakhro reminded that “while you are fortunate to celebrate this day, there are many children all over the world, right here in our state as well, who are not as fortunate as you – many don’t have the freedoms that you have, many don’t have the love and comfort of a family and a home, many don’t get an education at all...”
Quoting the famous adage “Children are the future,” she encouraged the children stating “remember that the future is yours – it is in your hands to make our world a better place – you can change the world.”
It is a great opportunity to make a promise to become agents of change and to bring change into the world, she added.
She also launched the painting competition on the theme 'My three wishes.'
Difficult to relate the pandemic to children
Speaking on the occasion, Headmistress of Cherry Blossoms School Kohima, Purnima Kayina said that 2020 was a year with plenty of surprises and unforgettable events.
“As the year began with its new blessing, we were all taken aback and shocked with the sudden lockdown and closure of schools and all establishments. This has given a very confusing state to one and all, especially to the children and to the children with special needs in particular,” Kayina said.
Kayina articulated that “It was a herculean task to make them really understand the reason why their movements have been restricted and schools are closed.”
Sharing how difficult it was for the teachers to relate the news of the pandemic to the children, she said “We were able to make our children compensate some of the classroom environment through the online classroom teaching... but this news was so difficult to relate to the children with intellectual disabilities.”
Nevertheless, Kayina expressed with pride that with the online class and encouragement from the parents, the children are also mentally in good health.
“They enjoy each other's company virtually and communicate like they are in the classroom. Many of such classrooms in Google meet are as noisy as the real classroom,” she shared.
Recounting an incident where one of her autistic students came to the school to collect the stationery items for painting competition in full uniform and with his bags full of school books to school, Kayina said she was amazed and moved by seeing the little boy's desire for school and love for books.
“Such is the innocent love that our children possess and we need to nourish such young minds for a better society,” Kayina said, laying emphasis on the need for support and help from all stakeholders.
