India: Catholic schools help poor students

In a statement, all Catholic educational institutions are asked to identify needy students and provide them with free education, which is one of ten anti-poverty strategies promoted by the Bishops' Commission for Education and Culture.

NEW DELHI, India (AsiaNews) - India's Catholic bishops want to use education as a tool against poverty. Recently, the Commission for Education and Culture of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of India (CBCI) issued a statement, calling on all Catholic schools and colleges to give preference to the poor and all those who are facing economic hardships.

In a policy paper titled 'Policy to Action Strategies', the Commission's executive secretary, Fr Kuriala Chittattukalam, said that each institution must identify school age students who cannot afford an education, and give them an opportunity to study for free. Each must allocate funds for needy students and train its own staff on how to recognise them.

Released earlier this month, the paper follows two years of meetings and seminars organised by the Commission around India.

"We are working towards implementing the 'all India Catholic Education Policy'," Fr Chittattukalam said. "We have developed a scientific tool that is practical and easily understood."

Educating the poor is one of the ten strategies the Commission came up with in order to fight poverty. The others include spreading the Christian faith in a creative way, analysing social change in Catholic schools, promoting women's emancipation through the overall development of the individual, co-opting the whole community in the fight against child labour, and support for poor families.