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PARADIGM
SHIFTS
FOR GREATER EFFECTIVENESS
“I
have an obligation to all peoples, to the civilized and the simple,
to the educated and to the ignorant” (Romans 1:14).
“Bear with one another, in complete selflessness, gentleness
and patience. Do all you can to preserve the unity of the Spirit
by the peace that binds you together” (Ephesians 4:2-3).
“A special word to those who suffer any form of discrimination:
Deeply pained by the unjust situation in which you are, the Church
commits herself to make concerted efforts, together with you,
to combat this injustice and create a brighter tomorrow for all
of us” (CBCI 2006, 10.6).
“Both diocesan and the religious personnel involved in institutions
should adopt a policy in favour of the poor and the marginalized,
particularly in matters of education and vocational training centres,
as a sign of preferential option for the poor and marginalized”
(CBCI 2002, II.C.5).
“Networking systems will have to be established between
technical education and industry, R&D organizations, programmes
of rural and community development, and with other sectors of
education with complementary characteristics” (National
Policy on Education, 1986, 6.12 (ix)).
“The introduction of systematic, well-planned and rigorously
implemented programmes of vocational education is crucial in the
proposed educational reorganization. These elements are meant
to enhance individual employability, to reduce the mis-match between
the demand and supply of skilled manpower, and to provide an alternative
for those pursuing higher education without particular interest
or purpose” (National Policy on Education, 1986, 5.16).
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6.1
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Throughout
human history, many changes have come about through a new
vision, a changed perspective and a fresh approach to what
existed earlier. This is equally true in the realm of scientific
innovations, of economic or political reforms or in the
spiritual realm. These are created by evolving a new lens,
new ways of seeing. These are called paradigm shifts. Our
Christian faith is an outstanding example of such a paradigm
shift, and Jesus Christ is recognized in history as bringing
about such a paradigm shift in human thinking. In the very
changed circumstances of today and the tomorrow ahead of
us, certain paradigm shifts are necessary to make our education
fulfil its mission of bringing about both personal and societal
transformation. |
| 6.2
|
We
resolutely and effectively focus our priorities—our
personnel, finances and institutions—on the education
of Catholics/Christians and the marginalized, especially
the Dalits, Tribals and women. This leads us to rethink
and reorient our admission and financial policies, and even
our infrastructure and pedagogy.1 We also make greater efforts
than hitherto to promote literacy for all, the universalisation
of free and compulsory elementary education, various forms
of non-formal education, and advocacy and lobbying in favour
of the marginalised. And we privilege the type of education
that meets today’s crucial challenges and leads to
social transformation. |
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(1)
When the preferential option for the poorest is at the centre
of the educational programme, the best resources and most qualified
persons are initially placed at the service of the least, without
in this way excluding those who have less difficulties and shortages.
This is the meaning of evangelical inclusion, so distant from
the logic of the world. The Church does, in fact, mean to offer
its educational service in the first place to “those who
are poor in the goods of this world or who are deprived of the
assistance and affection of a family or who are strangers to the
gift of Faith. Unjust situations often make it difficult to implement
this choice. Sometimes, however, it is Catholic educational institutions
themselves that have strayed from such a preferential option;
which characterized the beginning of the majority of institutes
of consecrated life devoted to teaching” (Consecrated Persons
and their Mission in Schools, 2002, 70).
“Access
to education especially for the poor is a commitment assumed at
different levels by Catholic educational institutions. This requires
arranging educational activity to suit the least, no matter what
the social status of the pupils present in the scholastic institution.
This involves, among other things, proposing the contents of the
social doctrine of the Church through educational projects and
requires checking the profile that the school foresees for its
students. If a school listens to the poorest people and arranges
itself to suit them, it will be able to interpret the subjects
at the service of life, and avail of their contents in relation
to the global growth of people” (Consecrated Persons and
their Mission in Schools, 2002, 72).
6.3 |
We
network with others: Providing Education For All is both
our national and international commitment. Without it, the
majority of our people will continue to remain marginalized.
Educating India is a huge national task, in which we want
to actively participate. Therefore net-working is a necessity.
The paradigm shift will mean linking with other agencies,
including the Government agencies.We will aim to build models,
using both our commitment and our competences. Applications
of psychology, learning theories and of different technologies
will call for inter-disciplinary collaboration. Such a paradigm
shift will multiply our present reach and outputs manifold. |
6.4 |
We
provide higher levels of competence to the rural youth:
Unemployment is still a major problem in India while more
and more jobs requiring technical skills are being created.
Provision of vocational and technical courses, especially
for our priority groups, in the rural sector, both at the
secondary and also at the tertiary levels, is another area
for a paradigm shift. These could range from provision of
courses in community colleges, or ITI institutions or professional
courses at tertiary levels. We plan to establish several
rural professional institutions to make our rural youth
market-ready with skills and updated competences. The acquisition
of competences in several fields of engineering, ICT, marketing,
agro-processing, bio-technology, watershed management, product
value addition and other management fields and leadership
development will make the rural youth contribute both to
self-empowerment and to the Gross National Product. The
gross abuse of they being denied full share for the products
of their labour will cease. This will also prevent them
from the need to rush to the urban centres in search of
a better life and living. |
6.5 |
We
articulate a curriculum to maintain environmental hygiene
and good social manners. This must start in the early stages
of school and go up to the college as well so as to make
the young socially sensitive and responsible. For a nation
that is rapidly moving from a developing to a developed
nation we are faced with gross insensitivity to basic hygiene,
environment cleanliness, good social etiquette and polite
behaviour. Through a systematic and sustained effort, we
would contribute to evolve a new model of social relations
to replace the present very unacceptable condition and behaviour
patterns. |
6.6 |
We
articulate and transact a curriculum to develop life skills.
We formulate a curriculum to enable the students to develop
life skills, at the school and college levels. This curriculum
can be based on the following ten life skills that WHO has
identified as very relevant for the youth of today, namely,
problem solving skills and decision making skills, critical
thinking skills, creative thinking skills, effective communication
skills, interpersonal relationship skills, self-awareness
skills, empathy building skills, advocacy skills, skills
to cope with emotions and skills to cope with stress. |
| 6.7 |
We
use e-learning for better learning and wider outreach: Today,
more and more learning is taking place, besides and beyond
the normal classroom set-up where face to face teaching
is done. E-learning has established firm roots worldwide
and its scope and use are rapidly expanding in India as
well. We take the initiative to introduce e-learning, not
only in our urban schools but give the same stress to do
so in our rural institutions, wherever possible, in order
to fulfil our mission of transformation through provision
of education of quality. E-learning has many applications:
for instance, for the updating of teacher competence and
ongoing training; for teaching regular subjects, where the
e-learning addition will greatly enhance understanding and
produce higher levels of achievement, whether we use it
for general education, for health education, for civic education,
and for other purposes. This tool can be a powerful means
for the empowerment of the village persons, to enhance the
skill and output of farmers using technology, or for the
education and training of those elected to the Panchayati
Raj and women in general, and other people in similar contexts.
More and more of educational programmes, based on prescribed
courses and curricula, are being digitalized. The use of
these resources will provide easy outreach to the presently
un-reached. We also will multiply our provision by using
the courses and programmes offered through Open Distance
Learning System (ODLS) offered through IGNOU, NIOS and state
level Open Universities and Schools.
“Educational
technology will be employed in the spread of useful information,
the training and re-training of teachers, to improve quality,
sharpen awareness of art and culture, inculcate abiding
values, etc., both in the formal and non-formal sectors.
Maximum use will be made of the available infrastructure.
In villages without electricity, batteries or solar packs
will be used to run the programme” (National Policy
on Education, 1986, 8.11). |
6.8 |
We
develop enlightened and proactive citizens and contribute
to nation-building through a curriculum of social sensitisation.
Education often lays stress only on the rights of the individual
but fails to emphasise one’s duties,
especially to society. We now accept the awakening of social
consciousness as our educational responsibility. A good
education must not only provide competences and a passport
to good living and success, but also enable the person to
contribute to the wellness of society. |
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