C.M. Paul
GUWAHATI, Oct 31, 2025 — With the rising tide of digital immersion and adolescent stress, educational leaders from across northeastern India gathered on October 30, 2025 at Guwahati, Assam, to reimagine student health as a cornerstone of national progress.
The North Eastern Educational Leaders’ Conference, themed “Student Health, Nation’s Future: Towards Better Learning and a Healthier Society in the Era of NEP 2020,” brought together some 400 from academia, medicine, government, and the Church in a day-long reflection on holistic education.
Organized by Education Secretary Holy Cross Father Paul Pudussery, the meet was hosted by the Assam Catholic Educational Trust.
The conference opened with a blessing and welcome by Archbishop John Moolachira of Guwahati, president of the North Eastern Bishops’ Council. Kandarpa Das, vice-chancellor of Girijananda Chowdhury University, delivered the inaugural address, followed by a keynote from Sanjay Kumar, secretary of the Department of School Education & Literacy, Government of India.
The morning sessions addressed the challenges posed by artificial intelligence, social media, and screen dependency. Doctor Paula Mukherjee Goel, Medical Director of Fayth Clinic, addressed the psychological toll of digital life in her session titled “Teens, Tech, and Turmoil: Rethinking Mental Health in the AI Era.”
A post-lunch panel chaired by Father Mathew Koyickal, deputy secretary general of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India, featured four compelling perspectives:
John Franco Tharakan, founder of Be-Ivy Education LLP and alumnus of Harvard and MIT, explored “Between Screens and Selves: The Impact of AI and Social Media on Adolescent Wellbeing.”
Sister Deepa Raj, consultant surgeon at St. Joseph’s Hospital, Baramulla, examined “Scrolling Minds, Strained Bodies: Adolescents’ Health in the Context of AI and Social Media.”
Ranjan Bose, specialist in wellness medicine, reflected on “Mind, Body, and Mobile: Adolescent Health in the Digital Era.”
Salesian Father V M Thomas, former secretary of the North East Bishops’ Conference Commission for Education for some 20 years and founder of Don Bosco Youth Services, shared his experience as teacher trainer.
The conference ended with a forward-looking address by Bishop Paul Mattekatt of Diphu, chairman of the North Eastern Education Commission, who emphasized the need for policy and pedagogy to embrace wellness as integral to learning.
Thank you so much for the wonderful session. Learned some effective ways to interact, motivate and engage students and promote their physical, mental and social well-being. Thank you.
The session has motived me to do something more and give more then what I can to all students.
It was a good educative session which will help us to deal with our student’s mental health more effectively than earlier. Looking forward to more such session in the future.