Kerala - Kollam   

`Peace must for progress'

Staff Reporter

Christian churches have failed: Valsan Thampu

KOLLAM: Valsan Thampu, member of the National Commission for Minority Education Institutions, has said that a culture of peace is a precondition for development.

Delivering the keynote address at a seminar on ``Education sector and Christian mission,'' organised by the Young Men's Christian Association here on Monday, he said that though Kerala was on the forefront of literacy, the question was whether there was an educational culture in the State.

He said that Kerala was a ``developmental Siberia.'' Everybody knew where it was, but nobody wanted to go there.

The State was also a satellite economy since nothing was happening here.

Peace again was the quintessence of cultural education. But it was not happening here. Here Christian churches too had failed. It was not enough to run educational institutions; there should be a mission.

He said that politicisation and commercial motive had resulted in the degradation of education. Both should be destroyed for the emergence of quality education. The dispute over self-financing colleges admissions had led to an open war in the State.

`Open war situation'

The basic issue was not whether Christians had the right to run educational institutions, but whether there would be a law in Kerala. For that, there was the Constitution, and no one should be allowed to violate it. He wondered why in God's Own Country things were always moving to an open war situation.

The Rev. Thampu said that democracy was something which functioned through dialogue. But in Kerala, it was seen to function through wars.

This had to change. Through clashes, there were many who calculated political advantages. Such persons and groups should be isolated.

He said that religious mission was progressing not because of any political concession. But at the same time, it had to be ensured that there had to be a mission behind education.

The general concept that the purpose of education was employment should be corrected.

Auxiliary Bishop of the Thiruvananthapuram Major Archdiocese Joshua Mar Ignathius inaugurated the seminar. Kollam Bishop Stanley Roman presided over the function.

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