ASIA/INDIA - Catholic education: the precious commitment of the Indian Church

Friday, 21 September 2018 education   evangelization   christianity   school   solidarity   development   social works   society   politics  

New Delhi (Agenzia Fides) - The Catholic Church in India is reviewing and updating its "Teaching Policy", elaborated in its guidelines in 2007, in order to offer an increasingly better qualified service and an ever-increasing commitment in the field of education in the country, considered a precious instrument of evangelization: this is what Salesian Fr. Joseph Manipadam, National Secretary of the Office for Education and Culture, within the Indian Bishops Conference (CBCI) says in an interview with Agenzia Fides.
"We have reached the goal that we set ourselves ten years ago in the All India Catholic Education Policy 2007 and we are taking care of the revision and updating of the Catholic education policy", notes the Secretary. The "All India Catholic Education Policy 2007" was drawn up very carefully after many studies, reflections and discussions in order to balance the guidelines of Catholic education with the Indian cultural, social and religious context.
"After drawing up the general guidelines, sufficient measures have been adopted to ensure their dissemination, so that Catholic educational institutions implement them in a systematic and coherent manner", he reports. In the last three years, the Indian Church has begun an study, evaluation and certification on the implementation of the guidelines, drawing up a graphic analysis of the results achieved in all the fourteen regions of India.
In order to show these results, the Episcopate Office for Education and Culture has launched a national quiz contest for students, called "CBCI Education MasterMinds": "The quiz competition in which thousands of students and institutions will take part, wants to make everyone aware that Catholic education is an important commitment and mission for the Church: it is a matter of educating young people according to the values of the Gospel, such as moral integrity, social justice, healthy patriotism, solidarity and charity, which go beyond the simple academic excellence", says Father Manipadam.
The competition will be launched next October, on the occasion of the next general meeting of the "All India Association of Catholic Schools" in Lucknow and disseminated through the regional and diocesan secretaries that deal with the education sector, as well as through communities and religious orders.
The Catholic Church in India runs more than 50,000 educational institutes, including 400 colleges, six universities and six medical schools that carry out their educational mission with maximum commitment and seriousness. (SD) (Agenzia Fides, 21/9/2018)


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