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Diploma in Family Planning
 Now, a Diploma Course In Family Planning. Ever heard of an official post called 'Professional Family Educator'? If not, just prepare yourself for the same. Chennai, a city that boasts of many unique concepts in its kitty, now adds to its arsenal. This is related to family
planning, post-marital problems and child related issues.
Meet Dr Catherine Bernard, Founder-Director, Service and Research Foundation of Asia on Family and Culture (SERFAC). This NGO, the only one of its kind in Asia, strives for the welfare of families based on the husband -wife interpersonal and parent- children relationships. But, the surprise element in this mission is their decision to introduce a two-year PG Diploma course in family studies and counselling, to train professionals in guiding people with such problems.
According to Catherine, unhappy and unsuccessful marriages mainly end in divorces which actually harm the children of the concerned couple and turn them into weaklings. Studies show that many such children prove to be a misfit in the future, especially in their parenthood. Stung by the growing numbers in this genre, Catherine decided to look for remedies. That was when the idea of 'Professional Family Educator' developed. This would enable such professionals to study the family background as a core region to offer solutions to troubled marriages and regarding children's issues.
The highlight of this programme would be the importance given to creating transparency and enlightenment on such issues as sexuality, fertility and child birth so as to ensure hassle- free married life and raise the level of awareness on such issues. This UN-certified social worker believes that ignorance on these issues leads to divorces and extra-marital relationships that ultimately influence the children of such couples.
So, how do these so-called 'Professional Family Educators' function in a given case? "They would counsel parents and children in guiding them to handle such problems constructively and work with adjustments", points out Catherine. She feels a family needs such professionals at troubled times, else they tend to breakaway.
 From where would such professionals operate? A batch of 25 students would pass out annually and be mainly employed in educational institutions such as colleges and schools and corporate organisations and would provide valid inputs on familial issues of the concerned (students and employees, respectively). The issues would be sorted out on the basis of the study made on their family background. Catherine feels educational institutions and corporate organisations should realise the problem and actively participate in this
endeavour.
Boasting an amalgam of Indian and international faculty, SERFAC aims to reinstate what the Indian culture is best known for -- family-oriented principles and high respect for husband-wife relationship. And this ever smiling social worker believes that they would be a pioneer in this regard in the near future. SERFAC is located at Vardarajapuram, 10 kms off Tambaram.
C S Sathish Anand
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