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Thirunavukkarasar lauds missionary institutions

By Our Special Correspondent

CHENNAI DEC. 30. The Postal department will soon come out with a commemorative stamp on the Montfort Brothers of St. Gabriel, as a tribute to the educational services rendered by the Montfortian institutions in the country, the Union Minister of State for Communication, S. Thirunavukkarasar, said on Tuesday.

Addressing the centenary celebrations here of the global organisation's presence in India, Mr. Thirunavukkarasar said generally Christian missionary institutions were known for quality education, combining it with discipline and character-building. "As a student of missionary institutions, I can say I owe my present position to the foundations laid by the missionary institutions," he said.

The Centre proposed to spend over Rs. 42,000 crores for education in the Tenth Plan with the aim of reaching 75 per cent literacy in two years. But such efforts would not achieve much, but for the complementary services rendered by missionary and charitable institutions such as the Montfortian group, he added.

Presiding over the function, Bro. Rene Delorme, Superior-General, Brothers of St. Gabriel, Rome, said the centenary was an occasion to recall the services of the founders of the mission, as also the teachers and other collaborators in the global effort. "Today we realise and can say without hesitation that all their efforts were really worth it. It was achieved because of the passionate interest of the Brothers who work for the God and the people," he added.

N. Kannadasan, judge, Madras High Court, said at a time when commercial consideration overtook service in education, Montfortian institutions were known for their selfless service and providing affordable education to deserving sections of society. As a legal practitioner, he said he had dealt with cases of educational institutions committing mistakes, but he was yet to come across one from this group of schools.

The National Chairman, Montfort Brothers of St. Gabriel, Bro. Albert Selvaraj, a Vicar-General from Rome, Paulose Mekkunnel, Assistant-General, Rome, Bro. Sirichai, the Director of School Education, S. Paramasivan, the Director of Government Examinations, S. Palanivel, and the principal of Santhome Higher Secondary School, Bro. Jesuraj, participated.

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