Thiruvananthapuram: Triggering outrage in the state’s social and political circles, a senior church functionary in Kerala has asked Christians to send their children to schools run by Christians only. The ‘advice’ came from Archbishop of Changanacherry Mar Joseph Powathil, chairman of the powerful Inter-Religious Church Council and former head of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India.
Addressing a Sunday gathering, the Archbishop warned against attempts to create a society of non-believers and said it was necessary to send Christian students to Christian schools to educate them about their faith. (Will Hindus learn something from Christains? – Editor)
His comments evoked protests from politicians and social outfits. Kerala education minister M. A. Baby said he was at a loss to understand what led the priest to make the statement. "Our constitution enables minorities to set up educational institutions of their own, but it isn’t proper to say that members of a particular community should prefer schools set up by their community," Baby told TOI.
"It seems an attempt at bargaining by having all community members under the umbrella of the church schools and will only lead to polarising children along communal lines," warned BJP state vice president V. Muraleedharan.
The RSS was unsparing in its criticism, too. "The Archbishop’s comment vindicates our stand that minority institutions are misusing their freedom. Schools are supposed to promote education, not religion. This is against our constitutional ethos and secular credentials," said senior Sangh leader Kummanam Rajasekharan. He feared this will only lead to communal divide in society. "Going by the Archbishop’s advice, Hindus should prefer schools run by Hindus and Muslims should go for Muslim-run schools. Then what will happen to communal amity?" he asked.
Source: indiatimes.com
