Dear Goanetters, What the Vice-Chancellor of Goa University[reportedly hand picked by Dr.Abdul Kalam before he became our President] in a BJP-rule state of Goa does make interesting reading indeed. Or does it?
Viva Goa. Miguel Laity can compensate for decline in consecrated persons in education' PANJIM, OCT 25 - BY HERALD REPORTER - An increasingly smaller number of consecrated persons are getting involved in the educational field each year, dropping from around 50 per cent four decades ago to around 10 per cent in the year 2000.Citing the example of the United States of America, Dr P S Zacharias, vice chancellor of the Goa University, said that statistics show that the percentage of consecrated persons in Catholic schools has dropped from 51 per cent in the year 1970 to a mere 7.5 per cent in the year 2000. The years 1980 and 1990 saw a percentage of 30 per cent and 15 per cent.Dr Zacharias also gave the percentage in Spain, a Catholic country, which was 14 per cent, just a little higher than South Korea, which was 11 per cent. In India he said, the percentages would follow the same trend. Dr Zacharias was talking at the XXXVII national convention of the All India Association of Catholic Schools (AINACS) held at Don Bosco on Saturday."The decreasing number of consecrated persons in education can be compensated only by the `laity'", he felt, adding that the conference was the right platform to examine the role played by the lay persons. Dr Zacharias also spoke of the challenges of the 21st century vis a vis the educational commitment of consecrated persons.The first challenge he mentioned was that of globalisation, the effects of which had been reflected in schools. He said that this was a complex and dynamic problem, which had the possibility of creating further disparities. New technology, he said was another challenge. The ever growing technological advances necessitate innovative teaching methods and adaptation to life. India, he said, had a specific problem of population growth, which creates an additional parameter to be looked at while resolving the challenges lying ahead. "Peaceful co-existence has to be emphasised", he said, talking about the social polarisation on the basis of economy, region and education. He added that educators have a paramount responsibility in this regard, but cautioned that the strategies adopted have to be state specific, as conditions vary from State to State. Beginning his keynote address with a passage from the Testament, Dr Zacharias gave the history of consecrated persons and education right through the ages.He said that the connection between the consecrated persons and education went back right to the middle ages, where the Church was the pioneer of education, driven by its passion to spread the word of God. For centuries, he said that, these persons had established religious institutions all around the world and had donated their lives to guide children to sound intellectual achievements. The educational scenario in the late nineteenth century and early twentieth was dominated to a large extent by consecrated persons, and in fact Goa had a high literate percentage due to the presence of a large number of Christians and institutions associated with them, he said.He also made reference to St Francis Xavier, who he referred to as "teacher par excellence", saying that he should be the guiding light in all the deliberations. The Archbishop Raul Gonsalves earlier gave the inaugural address. ########################################################################## # Send submissions for Goanet to [EMAIL PROTECTED] # # PLEASE remember to stay on-topic (related to Goa), and avoid top-posts # # More details on Goanet at http://joingoanet.shorturl.com/ # # Please keep your discussion/tone polite, to reflect respect to others # ##########################################################################
