Catholic Schools Commission to
ensure continuity of their brand of education
Source: Channel NewsAsia
Monday | November 1 2004 |
SINGAPORE :
Catholic schools are among the oldest schools in Singapore.
Now, these schools are ensuring that their brand of education will continue - by
setting up a new Catholic Schools Commission.
It will deal with the problem of fewer people becoming nuns, brothers and
priests and also look into offering a thorough training programme for top
students.
The Vice Principal of St Joseph's Institution, Brother Michael Broughton, is
optimistic.
He said these are exciting times for Catholic schools despite the fact that few
people are taking up religious life.
He said, "What adds value to your current student population that makes them so
proud to belong to you, that gives them some kind of sense of worth? You know I
was from IJ, I was from SJI, I was from Marymount Convent, what's that special
thing? And in Catholic schools we always knew what it was, it was the charism."
Values like faith and service are passed on to students.
The Church wants to re-energise Catholic schools with the new Catholic Schools
Commission, even as education island wide goes through sweeping changes.
Reverend Nicholas Chia, Archbishop of Singapore, said, "We've to go with the
times, we cannot be lagging behind also. But at the same time we cannot
compromise our principles and faith, because it's not only the intellectual that
we are looking into, it's the holistic type of education."
This is what students at St Anthony's Canossian Secondary treasure.
Student Nur'Adlin Ramdzan said, "They teach us some core values, such as be
compassionate, respect other people, be responsible...my parents were quite
pleased with all these and as these values would be inculcated in secondary
school, they strongly urged me to go to SAC SS, even though my results could
have gotten me elsewhere."
Another student Olivia Tanuwijaya said, "In this school, we have like morning
assembly everyday and we have some quiet time to pray and to sing hymns and it
really strengthens our faith."
The Canossians still have nuns teaching in their schools, but they are planning
ahead to days when there will be none.
Sister Josephine Sim, Head of Department, St Anthony's Canossian Secondary,
said, "Now we have a chaplaincy team that comprise of sisters and lay people and
we go around the schools to provide what is needed. We don't need to run the
schools, we don't even need to teach the academic subjects, but we are
available."
With the falling numbers of nuns brothers and priests, Catholic schools have
actually started preparing their lay people, the non-religious, to take up their
role to continue the mission for these schools.
One example is Agnes Chew, who heads St Anthony's Canossian Primary.
A former student, teacher and vice-principal of the school, she believes in the
values which mission schools espouse.
Ms Chew said, "If you are able to journey with the child in her sorrow and her
joy, then I think as a Canossian educator, we are really doing what we are
supposed to do and we have served the children who have come to our school."
And that is the mission of Catholic schools - to ensure students pass through
the portals with more than just an academic education. - CNA |
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