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VISION,
MISSION AND GOALS OF CATHOLIC EDUCATION
“I
came that they may have life and have it abundantly” (John
10:10).
“The spirit of the Lord is upon me, He has anointed me to
preach the good news to the poor, sent me to proclaim liberty
to captives, sight to the blind, and to set at liberty those who
are oppressed” (Luke 4: 18-19).
The goal of education is to teach the students to live, to discover
the deeper meaning of life and of transcendence, to learn to interact
with others, love creation, think freely and critically, find
fulfilment in work, plan their future, or in one word, to learn
‘to be’. It is in and through education that one can
hope for a more human and humane future and a more harmonious
society (Consecrated Persons and their Mission in Schools, 2002,
82, 84 ).
“Special efforts should be made to enable students: (1)
to think for themselves independently and critically; (2) to seek,
extend and apply knowledge to the solution of human problems;
(3) to continually strive after excellence in every field; (4)
to become mature, spiritually aware men and women of character;
(5) to value and judiciously use their freedom, combining with
it a full sense of responsibility for actions; (6) to be clear
and firm on principles and courageous in action; (7) to be unselfish
in the service of their fellowmen and concerned for the welfare
of the poor and socially oppressed; and (8) to become agents of
needed social change in their own situations” (AIACHE Declaration
of Purposes, 1982 ).
“Education has an acculturating role. It refines sensitivities
and perceptions that contribute to national cohesion, a scientific
temper and independence of mind and spirit – thus furthering
the goals of socialism, secularism and democracy enshrined in
our Constitution”(National Policy on Education, 1986, 2.2).
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2.1 |
God
envisions the well-being of the whole of creation and ensures
an ongoing healing, wholeness and transformation of our
unjust and fragmented world through human interventions.
The Mission of Jesus Christ is to restore
the integrity of God’s original creation,
both human and material and thus build the Kingdom of God
on earth. Our vision is the same as the vision of Jesus—that
all may have life and have it in abundance. |
2.2 |
Education,
by its very nature is a transformative process, namely,
changing human persons, and through them, society and its
structures. This activity of transformation is a spiritual,
humanizing and liberating activity and constitutes
the core mission of education. In the knowledge society
that is emerging, ‘quality education’1 serves
as the gateway to the socio-cultural and economic development
of persons and of the country. |
2.3 |
Our
Mission in Education is therefore to provide: |
2.3.1 |
An
Education of quality and relevance to all, and in particular,
to the marginalized sections of society, |
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(1)There
is often a wrong understanding of ‘quality education’.
It is not a system glued to individualism, ambition, competition,
mere academic results, grading and standardizing. Quality education
in the true sense produces persons with thought and feeling, with
eagerness to share, persons who are capable of looking to nobler
things in life. It has reference to things like the all-round
development of the person, humanism, authentic values, intellectual
curiosity and acuteness, aesthetic sensitivity, reading habits,
character formation, social awareness, healthy relationships,
refined manners, dignified self-presentation, intelligent and
clear self-expression, good diction and thoroughness about everything
one does.
Intellectual
advance or facility in the use of English should not lead gifted
students to mental sophistication, softening of character, superiority
complex, embarrassment about their original identity, distancing
themselves from the community they come from, abhorrence of anything
connected with manual labour, abandonment of their original simplicity
and willingness to mix with ordinary people.
2.3.2 |
An
Education that frees persons from the social conditioning
(such as caste, class, gender and other culture-linked prejudices)
which prevents them from living as free persons; and which,
instead, enables them to see life as a vocation and as a
gift, and which enables them to make free and considered
choices in the key areas that affect their personal lives,
communities and society, |
2.3.3 |
An
Education that leads the young into the sacred space of
the human person and of every person, making them aware
of the inalienable human rights of every individual and
group. This helps to foster pluralism, cultural and religious
diversity, individual and collective freedoms and respect
for and appreciation of differences, in the face of a globalized
world that aggressively pushes towards economic and cultural
uniformity, |
2.3.4 |
An
Education that humanizes and contextualizes, by assisting
the students to raise essential questions concerning the
meaning of life and of their role in society, enabling them
to become conscious of their responsibility to contribute
to evolving a borderless society and to promoting the common
good, |
2.3.5 |
An
Education that enables the youth to understand the implications
of economic policies and structures, political decisions
and the media, that play a critical role in shaping people’s
lives especially those of the poor, and the social responsibility
of citizens as individuals and as groups to engage in proactive
measures1 to bring both transparency and accountability, |
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(1)Education
also enables the youth to understand the vital role of various
professions, grassroot organisations and people’s movements
that actively contribute to transform and recreate society.
2.3.6 |
An
Education that energizes the young to take up the task of
contributing to nation-building, so as to evolve a New Inclusive
Indian Society, an India of their dreams, which they can
own with pride and joy, |
2.3.7 |
An
Education that thus forms the young to evolve as men and
women of character, competence, conscience, compassion and
commitment, who will then contribute to the evolution of
a counter-culture to the present ruthlessly competitive
model, by promoting collaboration and cooperation for the
growth of all, in a climate of mutual trust and sharing;
and to the shockingly corrupt society, by fostering uprightness
in public life, |
2.3.8 |
An
Education which nurtures an encounter with God
as a personal event and a free response to the call to faith
and which nurtures a life of meaning, purpose and personalized
values, including appreciation of other faiths. |
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