Higher education in India is myth

The Hindu : Opinion / Leader Page Articles : St. Stephen’s: education and social conscience

It needs to be stated unapologetically that the Christian engagement with the educational empowerment of India, hugely in excess of its numerical strength and economic resources, flows naturally from the genius of the biblical faith.

There it goes into the drain - all the talk about equality and merit-based society. Those who do not believe in the bible are condemned to be illiterate. What a bigot we have got to join our bigot N.Ram.

Jesus came to “preach the good news to the poor” and to “set the captives free.” His stated goal was that all people (not just the elite) must have “life in its fullness.” God, according to Jesus, is in solidarity with the oppressed and the suffering; and being in solidarity with them is the essence of being ‘poor in the spirit,’ which, according to the Beatitudes, is the secret of blessedness.

Its now time for some Christian prayers. Amen.

It is in its vision, priorities, and purposes, and not in the syllabi, that education becomes Christian. This may seem like ‘modified communalism’ to the custodians of class and caste privilege, but those who get intimidated by this discourse become irrelevant to Christian education. Writ large over the teachings of Jesus is the ever-challenging insight that the pursuit of profit will perforce result in the denial of the poor and the forfeiture of the contextual relevance of Christian education.

Valson Thampu is unapologetic once again, when he states that his idea is to impart Christian education not the scientifically and methodically evolved syllabi. This resonates with his earlier stated belief that only the ones who know the bible are educated. So Valson Thampu is trying to enforce certain religious orthodoxy in the college, much like the rigidity associated with madrassa education. Imagine St.Stephens turning into a Christian madrassa. The major beneficiary of this would be the fathers, who get to have all the fun with the boys.

It should be about the mythology of higher education in this country...

You can't argue with someone who holds this view about education. Shall we say, "christian education"?