MANAGER'S MESSAGE

     “A School must help children to ass imilate high moral standards in life”. Yes this is the aim of education.

One day a student of class IX entered into my office and gave me Rs 700/- and told me that this money belongs to somebody and he found it in the playground. I was surprised to see his honest deed. I appreciated him for his truthfulness. Education must help the students to grow in the virtues of honesty, integrity and morality as Mahatma Gandhi ji has said that education without character is a big Sin.

Education is not so much of information to put into a Child’s mind. It is to BRING OUT from his/her heart what is already there. We are living at a time when morality is on the decline. So coaching the children to be morally upright is certainly an uphill task, much akin to training them to swim against the tide. Students must perceive the spirit of a dedicated life, committed to great cause and ideals. They must be appreciated for the good deeds. Simultaneously teach the children to observe and appreciate the acts of virtue of other people is equally important.

When does a child become dishonest? when does he /she become a thief? yes, definitely when we consider her / his first falsehood or her / his first theft as silly and insignificant. So education must help them to bring out their good values, talents and abilities in all the levels and to make them integrated persons. “Education is not just the amount of information that is put into your brain and remains there, undigested, all your life. We must have life – building, person-making, character building, assimilating fine ideas and making them your life and character. Then you have more education than any man who has got by heart a whole library”says Swami Vivekananda.

“Parents are also responsible for shaping the “will”of the students, fostering good habits and a natural inclination to goodness. Moral formation should always take place with active methods and a dialogue that teaches through sensitivity and by using a language that child can understand. It should also take place inductively so that children can learn for themselves the importance of ceratin values, principles and norms rather than by imposing these as absolute and unquestionable truths”(Pope Francis).

Let me conclude by quoting A.P.J. Abdul Kalam –“If a country is to be corruption-free and become a nation of beautiful minds, I strongly feel there are three key societal members who can make a difference. They are: father, the mother and the teacher”

Wishing you all God’s blessings in abundance.

With Warm Regards

Fr. Peter Malithara