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 “HONORING THE PAST AND ENSURING THE FUTURE” was the motto of the
golden jubilee celebration of St. Xavier’s. As it celebrates its 56th anniversary this year we, the members of St. Xavier’s
Godavari family, are filled with joy, heartfelt gratitude and a firm
resolution for the future. We believe that this is the time to look
back with a thankful heart and move ahead with greater zeal, hope
and aspiration. I, as the principal of the school, would like to
take this opportunity to thank all the people, especially the former
principals, teachers and other staff members for their commitment
and dedicated service in the field of education for the last 56
years. Their hard work, dedication, courage and enthusiasm have made
the school what it is today. They have been a source and inspiration
to many. They have helped to form thousands of students and have
made them persons of competence, conscience, character and
compassionate commitment. These students, who have graduated from
this school, continue to cherish wonderful memories of their past.
Describing about the present status of St. Xavier’s Godavari I would
like to say that St. Xavier’s School Godavari has reached a
very crucial phase in its journey. As some of you are aware it is a
moment of transition, change and growth. Nearly about 12 years ago it began to
take a new direction by giving opportunity and preference to the
local children who were basically deprived of a proper educational
facility. In this new undertaking, we are called upon to exhibit
certain courage, take risk, experiment and venture ahead with
renewed hope and confidence. But in order that you fully comprehend
and appreciate the significance of the present change, I think it is
important that I explain here the characteristics of the Jesuit
education which binds all our Jesuit institutions.
Drastic
changes have indeed taken place in our approach to education since
the time of Ignatius (founder of the Society of Jesus). Earlier, it
was the individual aspect of personal development that was
emphasized. Today it is the social dimension that is stressed; the
aim is not so much to fit the individuals to a particular society,
but to bring about the needed changes in society itself; not just to
conform but also to create.
Jesuit General Congregation 34
(General Congregation is the meeting of the Jesuit representatives
from all over the world and it is the highest legal body in the
Society of Jesus), describing some of the characteristics of our way
of proceeding, has this to say concerning our search for MAGIS,
which means ‘a greater’ or ‘a higher’ degree of effectiveness. ‘We
are constantly driven to discover, re-define and reach out for the
MAGIS. For us, frontiers and boundaries are not obstacles or ends,
but the new challenges to be faced, new opportunities to be
welcomed. Indeed, ours is a holy boldness, a certain apostolic
aggressiveness. The pursuit of excellence implies the fullest
possible development of all the dimensions of the student’s
personality, e.g., the physical, intellectual, academic, affective,
social cultural, moral and spiritual. Our aim is not so much to
prepare a class of socio-economic elite as to educate real human
persons who will be leaders in society in every field of service.
Our primary objective is the formation characterized by excellence
of the person as individual in the totality and integrity for
his/her personhood with a mission of service to his/her fellow
person. Our students would become persons of character, mature and
responsible for themselves and for others being the agents of social
change and in the end they would serve the humankind unselfishly for
a building up of a true nation as an enlightened, united, strong
country with special emphasis on education of economically poor,
disadvantaged and underprivileged. We seek to educate students who
will work bringing about a society where truth, justice, peace and
love would prevail. (G.C. Decree 26)
Over the past decades,
serious questions have been asked about the effectiveness and
relevance of Jesuit education. The Jesuit headquarters in Rome had
set up an International Commission on the Education in 1988, to
study this question and to propose measures for action. The
commission, after six years of elaborate study, came to the
conclusion that in a rapidly changing political, socio-economic
situation of the people, the Jesuit education is to address itself
aiming at greater effectiveness and relevance. It has to show a
particular concern for the economically poor and socially
marginalized. This concern is reflected in the admission and
appointment policies, as well as in the other educational programmes
of the school. Jesuit education needs to face a challenging future
with confidence and contribute significantly towards its creative
and healing mission, if it is to be true to its particular Jesuit
heritage, if the world view and faith vision of St. Ignatius of
Loyola is to be activated and applied to education in ways adapted
to the needs of today.
In view of this, in the past twenty
years, significant renewal has been initiated and carried forward by
a large number of the Jesuits and lay people working in the field of
education. In increasing numbers, our educational institutions are
accessible to students from economically disadvantaged groups. The
quality of the education has improved in line with the principles
enunciated in recent educational document of the Society of Jesus.
Jesuit-lay cooperation has developed significantly, with each party
contributing in a distinctive way, towards the total formation of
the students. Our schools have become platforms for reaching out to
the community, not only to the extended school community of parents,
former students, and friends, but also to the poor and the socially
disadvantaged in the neighborhood In line with many of the Jesuit
run educational institutions world over, the Nepal Jesuits too
decided to opt for the poor and the disadvantaged sections of the
country’s population. For several years we continued to ask
ourselves some fundamental questions. In the socio-cultural context
of Nepal today, characterized by massive poverty and illiteracy,
what should education mean to us? How best can our school serve to
give flesh and blood to our option for the poor? In trying to answer
these questions, it was of paramount importance to us that remained
faithful to the recommendations and guidelines laid down by the
recent Jesuit General Congregations.
The Congregation has
made it very clear that education for us Jesuits is not an end in
itself, but only a means to implement the promotion of justice and
liberation and option for the poor and the oppressed. We are called
to be religiously dedicated and socially committed to the values of
human dignity, equality and justice leading to full human
liberation. Therefore what is needed today is not just some
modification in present structure, but new structures to translate
our option for the poor in the ministry of education. Some direct
insertion with the poor is important if one is to make an effective
option for the poor. Therefore our education is aiming at creating
new and suitable structures to give expression to our mission. When
we speak of the “preferential option for the poor”, the materially
and economically deprived are the ones we are speaking about.
Education for the poor will certainly bring us difficulties and
inconveniences. But they are worth in comparison with how much these
people benefit from our service.
As a result of all the
above discussions and clarifications, in 1992 the Education
Commission of the Nepal Jesuit Society decided to make Godavari a
launching pad of a new apostolic endeavour. The commission started
discussing how to make St. Xavier’s Godavari more relevant to the
people of Godavari. In 1996, after long discussion, reflection and
discernment, the Jesuit Fathers of Nepal took four decisions for
Godavari school. The first, it would be a Co-educational institution
to show our concern for girls. Both boys and girls would be admitted
in the school. The Second, it would be a neighborhood school to show
our concern to the people around us. The school primarily would take
boys and girls from Godavari area. Since there were so many good
local schools in different part of Nepal, the members concluded that
it is not necessary to run a “National” school. The third, to help
the students further, it was decided that Godavari would become a
high school. Because of the limited resources and to achieve the
above three goals it became necessary that the school became a day
school and the phasing out of the boarding began in 1996. Boarding
has been permanently closed. At present there are 800 students, 40
percent of them are girls. They all come from the local area.
This is our new venture. It is a venture that invites us to leave
behind our traditional method of education and to be more creative
and imaginative so that in the pioneering spirit that has always
characterized the sons of St. Ignatius we bring forth something
nobler. In a way we have set out on the next phase of our journey,
which has proved to be challenging enough. If the present seems
challenging, the future is bound to be much more challenging, and
naturally more rewarding. It is a call to carry on the mission of
education with dedication, zeal and hope for the transformation of
the society into a more just and humane society. So, we invite more
supporting people to participate with us in this venture. It will,
then truly be an institution built by the people for future
generations of Nepal. Challenges can be many and difficult but they
are meant to be overcome through collective effort.
I am happy that the school has launched a website for the benefit of
all those who would take time to visit it, especially the former
students, their parents, children and friends. All of us are aware
that ‘At the dawn of a new era, a vast expansion of human
communication is profoundly influencing culture everywhere.
Revolutionary technology changes are only part of what is happening.
Nowhere today are people untouched by the impact of media upon
religious and moral attitudes, political and social systems and
education.’ People might misuse tools of communication but for me
the information technology is a very important means for development
of the people and transformation of the society. It has a
significant role to play in the lives of people. It can bring about
positive creative change in the world at large through its emphasis
on human values and positive attitude to life. It can contribute
towards building up of our world that is based on peace, love,
compassion, justice and fellowship. I am sure that all of us are
part of this great endeavour of bringing about a positive change in
the world that we are living and sharing today. Aren’t we? Through
the launching of the website of the school, we would like to
continue to remain with you sharing our vision, mission, challenges,
goals and objectives of our school in the days to come. We would
like to give information and to reach out to all our former students
and their parents, friends, benefactors. We kindly request all to
support morally and financially in our new venture. We believe that
this will bring us closer to one another. Please do enjoy exploring
the web.
Fr. A.V. Mathew, S.J.
Principal,
St. Xavier's Godavari
School,
Lalitpur, Nepal. |
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