JESUIT EDUCATION TODAY: Education is the key to empowering the marginalized so that they can enjoy their God –given dignity. Education is significant tool for the full development, and environment of the poor and the marginalized.

 

 

Education is the key to empowering the marginalized so that they can enjoy their God –given dignity. Education is significant tool for the full development, and environment of the poor and the marginalized. So it is an agent of individual, social transformation.

1. Education Scenario Today:

  1. * Today’s world is knowledge dominated world with a tremendous progress in science and technology. It has increased the human capacities. This age of knowledge explosion, information and communication spearheaded by the IT revelation, has necessitated people to get at least basic education. At the same time, knowledge gap between the privileged and marginalized has widened.
 

In India:

  1. *  Knowledge and quality education are unavailable to the underprivileged. Overabundance of knowledge and affluence remain with a few rich and powerful.
  2. *  India has one third of world’s illiterates. 46% of our people have not reached the portals educations (2001 censes – 292.2 million). 89.2 million Children between the age 6 and 14 are not in schools. Even those who pursue education drop out in the early stage itself due to poverty, caste and gender discrimination, irrelevant education and lack of education facilities.
  3. *  The new liberalization process has brought in a culture of cutthroat competition and emphasis or merit calculated on the basis of marks and grades. This has been great disadvantage to the first generation learners, rural folk, socially excluded and discriminated communities (dalits and tribals). The most affected are the women especially the dalit tribal women.
  4. *  Decent employment needs at least basic education. Otherwise, the illiterate and the educated will be pursed to the margins of the society and not be able to enjoy the benefits of development. Hence there is a awareness among people that education is important to enter into the employment market. New disciplines have come up to suit the modern trends and needs.
  5. *  Proficiency in few languages especially English has become a basic requirement for employability.
  6. *  Industrial model of education is still in place in India. It assumes that all children learn the same way. A student is treated as a mere product and passive object then creator of learning.
  7. *  Educational institutions are more obsessed with high marks and grades then real integrated formation of students. Students also want to pursue careers that bring reach financial rewards.
 

2. Goal of Jesuit Education:

The goal of the Jesuit education today is the formation of ‘multiplying agents’ and men and women for others. (Fr. Pedro Arrupe – Address to the Tenth International Congress of Jesuit Alumni of Europe, held in Valencia, Spain on July 31, 1971).

 

Jesuit Institutions are to be of excellence, high quality in producing men and women of right principles, personally appropriated, open to the sigh of the times, in tune with their cultural milieu of its problems and for others. We aim to form men and women of services, according to the Gospel, motivated by genuine Gospel charity. (Our Secondary Schools Today and Tomorrow. Talk of Fr. General Pedro Arrupe of Jesuit Secondary Education, Sep 13, 1980, Rome).

 

“Our ideal is the well-rounded person who is intellectually competent, open to growth, religious, loving and committed to doing justice in generous service to the people of God” (Talk of Fr. Peter Hans Kolvenbach at St. Paul’s High School, Winnipeg, Ganada, May 14, 1986).

 

3. The Characteristics of Jesuit Education

1. Jesuit Education is world-affirming assist in the total formation of each individual within the human community, and includes a religious dimension that permeates the entire education. It is an apostolic instrument that promotes dialogue between faith and culture. It imparts intellectual formation coupled with the development of the students.

 

2. Jesuit Education insists on individual care and concern (intellectual, affective and spiritual dimension) for each person, emphasizes activity on the part of the student and encourages a life-long openness to growth.

 

3. Jesuit Education is value-oriented.

 

4. Jesuit Education proposes Christ as the model of human life.

 

5. Jesuit Education is preparation for active life commitment, seeks to form men and women for either and manifests a particular concern for the poor. Sensitization is promoted in our schools to move towards societal transformation.

 

6. Jesuit Education is an apostolic instrument, I service of the Church as it service human society. It aims to promote a spiritual vision of the world.

 

7. Jesuit Education pursues excellence in its work of information and witness to the excellence.

 

8. Jesuit Education stresses the lay-Jesuit collaboration, relies on a spirit of community among the teaching self and administration.

 

9. Jesuit Education adapts means, methods in order to achieve its purpose most effectively.

 

The ultimate aim of our education is to evolve men and women of the character, competence, conscience, compassion, commitment, and promote collaboration and cooperation for the growth of all.