Priest hails Hindu plan to open schools

NEW DELHI (UCAN) — A Church official has welcomed a Hindu group’s plan to open more schools and employ young people as teachers.

“Starting schools is a welcome step to remove illiteracy from the country,” says Father Kuriala Chittattukalam, secretary of the Indian Catholic bishops’ commission for education and culture

The Salesian priest was reacting to newspaper reports that the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) plans to open 100,000 schools mostly in India’s remote tribal areas.

The RSS, the umbrella organization of radical Hindu groups, also plans to recruit young people as teachers, “Mail Today” reported on Jan. 27.

Father Chittattukalam says more groups should join government efforts to introduce universal education in the country. The federal Education Ministry has made education compulsory for children up to 14 years.

The Church official said implementing the right education is a “challenging task” and NGOs, including the Church, should “move faster” to help the government.

He also said the Church is aware that RSS already manages thousands of schools across India. “So, the new plan is nothing new,” he told UCA News on Jan. 27.

Father Chittattukalam, however, wants the government to monitor “what goes on in the name of education. The qualification of teachers should be verified.”

According to “Mail Today,” the main reason for the RSS move is to attract youths to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the political arm of pro-Hindu groups and the main opposition in the Indian parliament.

Ram Madhav, a senior RSS official, has confirmed his group’s focus on youths.

He said his organization already manages some 70,000 single-teacher schools in India’s tribal areas. It now plans to open more schools for which it requires “energetic young teachers.”

“Mail Today” also reported the RSS expects to recruit “politically vibrant youngsters” in states with significant tribal populations such as Andhra Pradesh, Chattisgarh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Orissa.

The Church manages the largest number of education institutions in India after the government. It has invested heavily in areas where the RSS is now focusing.

IA08648.1586 January 27, 2010 37 EM-lines (336 words)

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