Five Catholic Universities to address future of India’s Higher Education

-Matters India

Darjeeling : Kolkata will host a national colloquium on “Future of Christian Higher Education and Contemporary Transitions in India” on November 16 to launch the 80th year of Salesian College Sonada.

“For the first time, the event will witness five Catholic universities of India in colloquium, ” Principal of Salesian College Dr. George Thadathil told Matters India October 22. The event will be held at Don Bosco School Park Circus in Kolkata. Father Thadthil adds, “The topic is pertinent in the contemporary educational scenario in India and the rising number of subtle attempts in the saffronization of educational establishments in the country.”

He expressed the hope that, “the colloquium while exposing the alarming trends in higher education will also inspire a growing number of Christian Institutions of educational excellence to upgrade themselves to serve minorities and marginalized groups.” Salesian College Sonada, Darjeeling with a campus in Sliguri planes, a constituent college of North Bengal University, has applied for Autonomous status since two years.

The Catholic Universities invited to participate in the colloquium include: Assam Don Bosco University Guwahati, Christ University Bangalore, St Xavier University Bhubaneswar, St Xavier University Kolkata, and St Joseph University Kohima, Nagaland. The colloquium will discuss topics such as: Mission in Higher Education and Contemporary Trans itions in India; Church’s Social Concern and Challenges from Corporate in Higher Education; Visioning the Future of Higher Educational Institutions; and Strategies to Replicate Existing Institutions of Excellence into Universities. Among the speakers are: Chancellor of Don Bosco Univeristy Fr. V.M. Thoma s ; Former Principal of Delhi’s St Stephen’s College Dr. Valson Thampu; Vice-Chancellor of Christ University Dr. Thomas C. Mathew; Professor of Eminence in Sociology & HoD Social Work Tezpur Central University Dr. Virginius Xaxa; and Jesuit Higher Education Commission Coordinator Dr. Xavier Alphonse.

Three heads of leading Christian Women’s Colleges who will respond to the presentations are: Secretary of Xavier Board and former Principal of Stella Maris College Chennai Dr Annamma Philip; Principal of Loreto College Kolkata Dr. Christine Countinho, and Former Principal of Women’s College Patna Dr Doris D’Souza. Besides, being a post novitiate philosophy studies center for Salesian India for almost 80 years, Salesian College which started in Shillong in 1933 is also the cradle of Salesian university education in India.

The college which opened to local youth in 2000, today has some 1,500 students studying in 15 departments of Arts, Commerce, Computer Science and Management in two campuses at Sonada and Siliguri. The college has a third campus in the Balasun area at Dhajea which is also a Research and Translation Center.