ALL INDIA CATHOLIC EDUCATION POLICY

UPDATING AND REORIENTING OUR
EDUCATIONAL SERVICES

“I want you to be wise about what is good” (Romans 16:19).
“A good man draws what is good from the store of his heart” (Luke 6:45). “Your lives will produce all kinds of good deeds, and you will grow in your knowledge of God” (Colossians 1:10).
“It is in education, in fact, that the promise of a more human future and a more harmonious society lies” (Consecrated Persons and their Mission in Schools, 2002, 84).
Our institutions are most “effective not only if they are characterised by a spirit of love, compassion, service, justice, honesty, respect and courtesy, but if they also respond sensitively to the cultural and religious heritage of our land, and if they are specially alert to the needs of the poor, generously putting at their disposal whatever facilities they can. But what is of utmost importance is the quality of life of those who staff these institutions (Statement of the National Consultation of Mission, Pune 1994, 63).
“In the Indian way of thinking, a human being is a positive asset and a precious national resource which needs to be cherished, nurtured and developed with tenderness and care, coupled with dynamism. Each individual’s growth presents a different range of problems and requirements, at every stage – from the womb to the tomb. The catalytic action of Education in this complex and dynamic growth process needs to be planned meticulously and executed with great sensitivity” (National Policy on Education, 1986, 1.10).
“In our culturally plural society, education should foster universal and eternal values, oriented towards the unity and integration of our people. Such value education should help eliminate obscurantism, religious fanaticism, violence, superstition and fatalism” (National Policy on Education, 1986, 8.5).
“Value education has a profound positive content, based on our heritage, national goals and universal perceptions. It should lay primary emphasis on this aspect.” (National Policy on Education, 1986, 8.6).

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A	INTEGRAL PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT OF ALL STUDENTS
4.1	We consider each student as an individual person. In a climate of mutual trust, we help students to discover and cultivate their talents and to accept responsibility for their own development, and also to assist others in their growth. We ensure the holistic and integral development1 of every student, in all the dimensions of growth:
v	health and body fitness
v	emotional and psychological maturity
v	social sensitivity and leadership
v	intellectual and cognitive skills and
v	moral and spiritual growth

4.2	Our objective is that our students become men and women of high levels of personal competence, conscience, compassion and commitment. We realize that bringing this about through personalized accompaniment demands great dedication and selflessness on the part of all the stakeholders.
4.3	We enable each student to see his/her life as a gift of God and as a call to serve. We help them to realize that it is right attitudes and principles that give power and dignity to one’s life. We nurture the vocational dimension of life in each student and help each to interpret one’s life in the light of God’s plan for him/her and contribute to life.
4.4	The family comes first in being responsible for the faith education of their children. The Parish and the Educational Institution also share responsibility for this faith education of Catholic children. Therefore the provision of good education and nurture of the Catholic youth is a joint responsibility of the school/college community, the parish community and the home. The pastoral clergy and religious communities have an important role to play here, and must supplement or complement the kinds of financial, academic and counselling supports that the Catholic students need.

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(1) Values are inculcated also through the organization of sports, games, athletics, drills, activities in youth groups and associations and other programmes that foster discipline, loyalty and dignified behaviour. Participation in theatricals, debates, recitations, public speaking exercises, dances, musical events, painting competitions, and performances of various forms of local art helps to develop self-confidence and aesthetic tastes. Similarly, other co-curricular or extra-curricular activities (e.g. scouts and guides) are formative of character and contribute to the development of a rounded personality.

4.4	We encourage students to liberate themselves from the social conditioning that results in loss of personal freedom. We create this personal free space, by providing the students frequent opportunities for open-ended discussion and respectful listening and inputs.
4.5	We accept, defend and promote the rights of children, with special attention to the rights of the girl child.
4.6	We recognize that educating to freedom is a humanizing process, freeing the person from the conditioning that prevents him/her from fully living as a person, enabling each to make free and consistent choices. We nurture in them convictions about the sacredness of life. We help young people to make right and prudent choices in matters of life, family and human love.
4.7	We educate the students to become active and responsible citizens and help them to evolve a stake in the future of our country.
4.8	We do not allow our institutions to remain stagnant, holding on to traditions and practices that have ceased to have relevance. Instead, our institutions become dynamic and proactive in responding to new focus areas and adopt appropriate strategies.
4.9	To find answers to deal with the heavy syllabus load and prepare young people for life, we will effectively use the large degree of freedom available in organising classes to introduce innovation, greater relevance, and the acquisition of life skills.
4.10	While transacting the curricula, we keep the following principles and focus on these special areas: (including those given in the National Curriculum Framework of 2005)
a)	inclusion of values enshrined in the Constitution in the curriculum;
b)	connecting knowledge to life experiences outside the school;
c)	ensuring that learning is shifted away from content-based rote methods to promoting creativity and problem solving skills and other life skills;
d)	enriching the curriculum to provide for the overall development of children rather than remaining textbook-centric;
e)	making examinations more flexible and integrated with life situations;
f)	nurturing an overriding national identity, while preserving regional identities, informed by caring concern for various communities and peoples within the democratic polity of the country;
g)	Fostering and promoting a work ethic, good academic discipline and standard;
h)	Instilling a sense of history, culture and tradition, thus fostering national solidarity.
4.11	We help students to understand the languages, opportunities and challenges of the new technologies and of the media and to recognize the impact of these technologies on self, on people, on means of communication and on the future of society. Since media plays an increasingly dominant role, we ensure that our students are enabled to understand how media communicates, so that they are able to use the media critically rather than be used by them.
4.12	In the knowledge society that is emerging in India, new initiatives to promote this are evident in many sectors. For instance, many daily newspapers have introduced supplements covering knowledge on health, social issues, cultural materials, scientific developments and cutting-edge technologies. Several magazines do the same, as does also the TV, which has several knowledge-based channels. In addition, there is a growing number of videos, CDs and DVDs providing further enrichment and support to learning, both general and linked to particular topics and issues. All these will enable our students to become aware and alert.
4.13	Technology now plays an important role in society and in its many functions and services. This is also true in education. We take special care to bring Technology-aided education to the service of our marginalized brothers and sisters in the rural sector. They will be enabled, through suitable packages (e.g. in Mathematics, English, Science etc) to pass rather than fail. Hence our institutions aim at using updated technologies, including e-learning in order to improve the quality and reach of education. We aim at the norm that staff will be made technology-friendly and users of technology, as much in our rural schools as in urban institutions. Where electricity is not available, substitute arrangements are made to solve the problem, since this will greatly enhance both the equity and quality of education that we provide.
4.14	Through periodic training, we equip our teachers with up-to-date knowledge and pedagogical skills including the use of new educational technologies. In the changed and rapidly changing scenario, good habits of work ethic are inculcated both among the staff and students as mandates for life and effective living.
4.15	Our institutions provide the ambience for teachers to work as partners with parents and the management and relate well to colleagues and students.
4.16	To promote the larger interests of our institutions and for the greater effectiveness of our services, we foster good public relations with those in the neighbourhood, and with civil and public authorities.
4.17	As citizens, we promote harmony and the spirit of common brotherhood amongst all the people of India, transcending diversities based on religion, language, caste or gender etc. and help to cultivate the many qualities and attitudes mentioned among the fundamental duties of every citizen. The Constitution of India, under Fundamental Duties, 51A lays down the following 10 normative directions for every Indian citizen:
	It shall be the duty of every citizen of India

	a)	to abide by the Constitution and respect its ideals and institutions, the National flag and the national anthem;
	b)	to cherish and follow the noble ideals which inspired our national struggle for freedom;
	c)	to uphold and protect the sovereignty, unity and integrity of India;
	d)	to defend the country and render national service when called upon to do so;
	e)	to promote harmony and the spirit of common brotherhood amongst all people of India, transcending religious, linguistic, and regional or sectional diversities; to renounce practices derogatory to the dignity of women;
	f)	to value and preserve the rich heritage of our composite culture;
	g)	to protect and improve our natural environment including forests, lakes, rivers and wild life and to have compassion for living creatures;
	h)	to develop the scientific temper, humanism and the spirit of enquiry and reform;
	i)	to safeguard public property and to abjure violence;
	j)	to strive towards excellence in all spheres of individual and collective activity so that the nation constantly rises to higher levels of endeavour and achievement.

4.18	We educate students and staff to accept and respect differences based on religion, culture or region or any other. We ensure that not only the dominant or majority cultures but also the smaller cultures and traditions find acceptance and respect in the minds and hearts of the students and staff. Thus we shall contribute to develop an alternative model to that of a highly individualistic and exclusive society.

B.	SOCIAL SENSITISATION FOR SOCIETAL TRANSFORMATION
4.19	As a major contribution to build a new India and a new ethos, we plan and execute a good programme of social sensitisation of the students, an awareness and action programme to make them understand and become sensitive to the major social issues and inherited inequalities. Systematically done, as a part of a national campaign by our institutions, through a well-designed curriculum and experiential learning, it will empower our students “to create a society inspired by the Gospel values of service in love, peace rooted in justice, and fellowship1 based on equality” (CBCI 2006, 2). We see this as our major contribution to develop a new culture and to build a New India (Bharat Navnirman) and a very relevant constituent of genuine education. Any significant socio-economic and political change requires a deep transformation of people’s ideas, values and attitudes. And only education in its broad sense can bring about this cultural transformation. It is referring to this that Fr. Pedro Arrupe said, “We must form in modern (men and women) a new mentality with new dynamic ideals based on the gospel with all its consequences. We have to imbue our students with a profound sense of service to others. This must not be confined to a service of person to person, but it must also include that most fundamental and most necessary service to contemporary society, namely, contributing to the change of those structures and actual conditions which are oppressive and unjust. Therefore, we have to form as it were the agents of change and liberation of modern society. This means a creative education capable of collaborating in reshaping the new society.”

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(1) Life becomes so much more pleasant and smooth, when relationships are warm; when the rights and needs of others are attended to and when good manners, etiquette and courtesies are practised, and local cultural norms are respected. The students also learn to avoid gross forms of socially insensitive behaviour.

4.20

Education for Social Transformation1 entails a proper understanding of the dynamic functioning of society: the economic, political and social structures, the meaning systems (culture, religion, and ideology), their manifold and complex relationships, as well as the factors or laws of societal evolution. It also demands the acquisition of a purposeful vision for the future and the identification of effective means and strategies for social change. And most importantly, Christian students are made aware of the social teachings of the Church, especially those of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India.

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(1) Education for social change also requires capacity-building skills like those for social analysis, leadership, human relationships, animation of groups, consensus-building, networking, planning, monitoring and evaluating, organising people, and other similar things. Social formation necessarily includes human rights education, gender sensitisation, peace education, ecology awareness and similar programmes of social interest. It leads to advocacy and lobbying in favour of the marginalised.

Social formation thus means standing for human rights, communal harmony, protection of the environment, structural changes and the liberation of women, Dalits, Tribals and other oppressed groups. Our educational institutions reach out to the neighbourhood community with beneficial activities, like literacy programmes, non-formal education, balwadis, street plays; remedial programmes for weak students and dropouts, various forms of skill-based training and computer knowledge, evening study centres, career guidance, counselling, courses building up self-esteem and self-confidence, and team spirit. Venturesome institutions go further, with mobile schools, boarding houses for rural children, hostels for the marginalised. And even community colleges come up. Many institutions adopt poor villages.

What is most important is that students are made aware of the needs of the community. They do not become uprooted individuals, but remain part of the local community to which they will return, and contribute to its growth and development. Students are trained through exposure programmes and situation analysis to commit themselves to the neediest.

4.21	In addition, we identify and provide several opportunities to students while in school and even more in college to move into practical social action and so empower them to become stakeholders and enlightened leaders of future India, “who will be able to play a critical role in society and contribute to solve its economic, social and spiritual problems.” (CBCI, 1974, 48). We also “identify talented children from the marginalized communities with a view to preparing them for higher and professional education. Among them, we hope to train a select group for social and political leadership” (CBCI 2006, 8.4). However, they should be socially so conscientized that they remain sensitive to the needs of their own people, and not become oppressors themselves.
4.22	The process of globalisation characterizes the horizon of the present century. While it has some positive effects, it has also many negative aspects, which have resulted in producing gross disparities, injustices, marginalization and exclusion. We provide opportunities to students and staff to understand the negative effects of the present form of globalisation on society.
4.23	Authentic relationships have often become a major casualty in today’s life. We are committed to live and communicate the spirituality of community and of communion by nurturing the relational dimension in our institutions.
4.24	We promote the spirit and practice of cooperation and collaboration and take firm steps to curb different forms of destructive competition. Instead, we encourage self-competition so as to constantly strive for higher levels of achievement, in an effort to reach one’s full potential. We create an environment and institutional climate which values and demonstrates, through actual practice, the many benefits of Networking, Synergy and Team Work. We make this the characteristic trait of our institutions and a means of achieving significantly higher levels of performance. The ideal we set for ourselves is Rising Together (Sahodaya) and the strategy we use is Cooperation and Collaboration (Sahayog).
4.25	In order to cross the many borders that exist in society and which find its reflection in the school, we undertake Cross Border Community Building (CBCB) in our institutions across the many present borders that exist, based on caste, class, religion, region, language and culture. We thus aim to lay a base to build a micro model in our institutions of a united and inclusive community, so as to enable the students to construct later in life a society of peace and harmony at the macro level. Towards this, we help develop on the one hand a strong sense of equity, equality and justice, and on the other a spirit of dialogue, in the minds and hearts of students. This will help many to evolve their own dreams and agenda for action during their adult life and thus contribute to the process of national regeneration in our country. This will also form a key component of the curriculum for Value Education.
4.26	We actively participate in the care and protection of our environment and thus contribute to preserve the integrity of creation.
4.27	We keep in contact with our former students to keep alive their commitment and to evolve relevant agenda to transform that part of society of which they are a part, while pursuing various professions. Thus a doctor may evolve an agenda: “to eradicate leprosy in my district”; or an architect: “to design modern well-constructed low cost houses for the poor”; or a judge: “to contribute to the eradication of corruption” or a young District Magistrate / Collector: “provide safe drinking water and electricity to every family in the district,” etc. Our criterion of reference for judging the quality and excellence of our institutions will be both the higher levels of personal competence that a significant number of our students will have been enabled to acquire a degree and the social motivation that will get them involved in societal transformation, in their later adult years. We follow up on this through our on-going contact with our Alumni/ae Associations and inspire them to become Men and Women For Others and With Others.
4.28	In summary, the Church’s presence in the world of education is a prophetic choice. We see it as the task of the Church through its institutions, to teach the students the fine art of Right Living.

C.	OUR CONTRIBUTION THROUGH HIGHER EDUCATION
4.29	The most important indicator of a country’s progress is the state of its higher education. “If all is well with the Universities, all would be well with the nation also” was the reflection of Jawaharlal Nehru. Higher Education does not merely pass on the heritage of the accumulated knowledge of the past but also creates new knowledge, and using technology makes numerous applications to enhance quality of life and living. Since it is knowledge that is transforming the world, tertiary education has a major responsibility to contribute to the design and directions that the society will adopt.
4.30	Catholic colleges form an integral part of Indian Higher Education. In the present situation, Catholic colleges are faced more than ever before, with the challenge of providing leadership of thought and theories for taking the nation forward. Hence, it is not enough for them to be islands of excellence. By inserting themselves into the national mainstream of issues and concerns, they then become agents of change, and contribute to enhance the quality of life. “Higher education provides people with an opportunity to reflect on the critical social, economic, cultural, moral and spiritual issues facing humanity. It contributes to national development through dissemination of specialized knowledge and skills. It is therefore a crucial factor for survival” (National Policy on Education, 1986, 5.24).
4.31	Christian missionaries were pioneers in introducing modern Higher Education in India. Catholic Colleges are highly esteemed for academic excellence, extra curricular activities and the all-round formation given. The spirit of service has always been a part of the ethos of our colleges. In fact, in recent times there is a new awakening in several of our colleges to meet and respond to the demands of social justice and human rights. Admission policies have been changed to bring in more and more of the underprivileged into the college. Programmes of social awareness are organized to create in the students greater concern for the poor and exploited.
4.32	We have always laid special stress on values. Today there seems to be a serious crisis of values due to rapid changes in society. This has resulted in a good measure of confusion and value disorientation. Youth will therefore need to be provided space and time for value clarification. As part of society, college students cannot but be influenced by the rapid changes that are taking place. Whether students, staff, parents, priests or religious, they all are confronted by this value erosion. Mature discussion, within a democratic frame, would enable our youth and staff to examine major societal issues, like the environment, status of women, human rights, consumerism, corruption, work ethic, questions of peace and social harmony. Development and freedom are linked. Our colleges provide the ambience for humanizing education, within the diverse cultural contexts of our country.
4.33	In terms of policy thrust and decision, we envisage the following:
a)	Equip young people to become honest citizens who are rooted in their culture, open to other cultures, and are capable of interpreting social processes, so as to take responsibility for bringing about transformation in society.
b)	Our institutions while remaining inclusive, reproducing a mini-India on the campus, will have a clear option for Catholics, for the poor and the marginalized.
c)	Re-organise courses and programmes to respond to the changed needs of the times.
d)	Promote research and publications in social and scientific fields and also in learning theories and technologies, since in our knowledge society, generation of new knowledge holds the key to progress and development.
e)	Network with other tertiary institutions and Universities for mutual exchange and enrichment.
f)	Focus on leadership development in various fields so that our students make significant contribution to the progress of the nation and its peoples.
g)	Accompany youth in the contexts of today in their pilgrimage of faith on issues of transcendence, which give meaning to life.

D.	OUR CONTRIBUTION THROUGH NON-FORMAL EDUCATION
4.34	In 1978, the CBCI asserted: “Our future educational efforts should move more and more in the direction of non-formal education and adult literacy” (CBCI 1978, 20.1). It also recommended in 1998: “Non-formal education to conscientize, train, organize and empower the poor, the Dalits and the Tribals must be given top priority in our social apostolate” (5.2). There are numerous Church-related institutions that are engaged in non-formal education, in many sectors. Though many of them remain invisible seeking no publicity, this contribution by the Church has improved the quality of life of countless thousands in very significant ways. This is all the more creditable, since it offers service and assistance to those most in need. We aim to further expand both the quantity and quality of these programmes. Some of our present areas of engagement are mentioned below.
4.35	In the sector of education: through preparing the out of school children for re-entry or providing continuing education to adults through night schools, or through certificate education for dropouts to give them a second chance in life through Open Schooling channel. Countless groups throughout the country have also used non-formal education to help the people to reflect on and solve the problems affecting their communities and neighbourhood.
4.36	In the health sector: through both small dispensaries in villages and small towns and through preventive health education and the promotion of the use of effective traditional medicines and health care practices; through care for the terminally ill and for the socially marginalized, like lepers and those suffering from AIDS and other ailments.
4.37	In the sector of empowerment of women: through associations and groups seeking to give them dignity and status as well as education in home skills, life skills and job skills.
4.38	In the sector of vocational and technical education: besides provision through formal recognized institutions like ITI, also through the community colleges and vocational courses provided by the National Institute of Open Schooling to prepare them for the world of work and to update their skills so as to earn a better income.
4.39	In the care for the physically and mentally challenged: through our many institutions, which look after them, and which are managed in the true Christian spirit of caring for those who are uncared for. Gradually they are integrated with the students of the formal schools.
4.40	In the sector of rehabilitation of those who suffer from alcohol and drug abuse; engaging in prison ministry.
4.41	4.41 In the ministry of peace and reconciliation: at home and between communities, ethnic or religious groups in conflict. (1)

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(1) Education to peace does not mean merely propagating some pacifist slogans, holding some peace-seminars or courses. It means earnestly working on various forms of prejudice-reduction: prejudices against persons of other castes (both higher and lower), tribes, languages, political affiliations, ideologies and theological points of view, regions and religions. Theologies and ideologies that add an aggressive dimension to justice struggles and histories that keep injuries of the past alive, make a negative contribution to the cause of peace. Education to peace includes teaching youth to deal respectfully with people of other convictions, cultures and civilizations, even with those who seem to be opposed to them. It means learning to dialogue with people with whom they have conflicting interests. This has become absolutely necessary in this era of globalisation and conflicting perceptions of injustice in different contexts.

E.	CHARACTERISTICS OF A VALUE-BASED INSTITUTIONAL CLIMATE
4.42	Education is essentially and by its very nature a transformative process, namely, bringing about change in the mindsets and attitudes of students, which in turn, will help transform society. This transformative process takes place in the framework of a suitable institutional climate. Such a climate is characterised by the policies, mindsets and practices of the various categories of members of the educational community (students, staff and parents) seeing themselves as partners and stakeholders and developing a sense of belonging and accepting the institution as “ours,” participating enthusiastically in the common enterprise, having crossed the “we-they” divide. The following are some of the key climate factors which help bring about this transformative process. Therefore we see education as being essentially a thing of the heart.
4.43	The foundation for this climate is mutual trust and solidarity. Conflict situations are resolved through transparent dialogue and without manipulation so as to arrive at win-win solutions, whenever possible. A spirit of freedom and fellowship, mutual respect and service, and concern for each other, especially the neediest, prevails.
4.44	This trust is manifested through delegation of responsibilities. Through a provision of training and accompaniment, the members are thus empowered to make decisions on their own and to execute them. Even when some mistakes are made, these are seen as mere stepping stones to learning and growth and for better future performance. In such a climate, everyone learns and every one grows.
4.45	In our institutions, both in the classrooms and on the campus, we create a friendly and humane climate. While discipline (whose goal is development and not control), is enforced with firmness, it is also accompanied by love and compassion. Hence, we avoid all aspects of a discipline that is coercive. “A warm, welcoming and encouraging approach, in which all concerned share a solicitude for the needs of the child, is the best motivation for the child to attend school and learn” (National Policy on Education, 1986, 5.6).
4.46	The development of all the members of the educational community is accepted as a sacred responsibility. Hence, opportunities for development are provided to all members without exception, both staff and students.
4.47	The institution sees itself as a community of learners.
4.48	Collaboration and cooperation are promoted at all levels. Hence, it positively bans cut-throat competition. Instead it promotes competitiveness, where each one tries to match one’s actual achievement with one’s ability, thus significantly enhancing attainments, both individual and institutional. Through synergistic alliances, we then produce the miracle of making a whole that is larger than the sum of its parts.
4.49	Openness and transparency characterize the functioning of the school / college. Information is freely and fully shared. Relations with the neighbours and with the public are cordial. It develops our institutions as centres of outreach and service, especially to the underprivileged of the area.
4.50	A systematic nurture of work ethic, and high standards of productivity are hallmarks.
4.51	The campus atmosphere is relaxed and friendly, a happy mix of formality with informality, and there is a marked absence of fear.
4.52	Initiatives and ventures by both students and staff are encouraged, appreciated and publicly recognized. Such appreciation becomes part and parcel of this climate.
4.53	The attainments of the individuals and of the institution are celebrated from time to time.
4.54	Groupism and region-based cliques are strongly discouraged. At the same time, we encourage and support cultural diversity and differences, and in particular of small culture groups. Inclusive behaviour is encouraged and appreciated and given public recognition.
4.55	Meetings, whether with the staff, students or parents, often take the form of being interactive and consultative. Current issues, problems and major future programmes are discussed so as to gain from the insights of all the members and avail of their collective wisdom, before arriving at final decisions. Participatory structures are encouraged.
4.56	Goals and targets are set through a consultative process. This goal-oriented climate greatly energizes all the members of the community. The educational community is thus a model of justice, participation, service and brotherhood. Our schools and colleges promote a new kind of relationships where staff and students have a lived experience of the new society we wish to create.

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