22nd February 1998

Point of view – V.W.

Christian values - a lot of talk, few actions

The take-over of schools by the State caused much heartburn among religious denominations especially the Catholics. The Catholic church which attaches much significance to catechesis as a means of entrenching what it calls the faith of the church and its exclusive teaching office, which all Catholics must accept without question, considered these schools as powerful instruments for achieving those objectives. Even though die-hards among both clergy and laity resisted the decision of the State and went to the extent of occupying schools, many enlightened Catholics felt that the decision to establish a truly national system of primary and secondary education was a just one.

To the credit of the government, it must be stated that the milieu of school management has not as a rule been drastically altered. Many schools have been permitted to retain religious, clergy and Catholic laity as principals as long as they possess requisite qualifications. This being the case, the religious denomination which has the edge in running the school is morally bound to reciprocate the goodwill inherent in the retained management culture by showing concern for national sensibilities.

This reciprocity in giving pride of place to commonly shared values must be seen not only in the running of the school, but also in the administration of past pupils associations. The situation has now been complicated by the decision of the Ministry of Education that the principal of the school should be the president of the association, whereas earlier he/ she was the patron. Most often the principal, not being a past pupil of the school takes little interest in the activities of an association except to make use of the funds generated by it, for school projects. Consequently the other office bearers who run these associations pay little attention to the views of the membership knowing very well that the ultimate responsibility lies with the president.

Recently there was the case of a school in the suburbs of Colombo which decided to hold its annual dinner dance even though many past pupils had made representations to the management committee that the extravagance of a dinner dance at a five star hotel was inappropriate at a time when the country was bordering on moral and physical collapse due to the ongoing war and the reign of terror. This appeal was not given serious consideration by the committee.

The principal, who by the nature of her vocation should be committed to an austere way of life, did not as much as exhort the committee in her capacity as president, that the appeal should be given serious consideration. Even when the Hotel Galadari at which the dance was to be held was shattered by a bomb that killed several people, the committee was not moved to reconsider its decision. It decided to switch the venue of the dance to another hotel. When the Dalada Maligawa, a temple revered by Buddhists was desecrated and wrecked by a hate-bomb, the dance went on.

A majority of the committee members of this association are Catholics. By their actions they have demonstrated that the Catholic church is no longer a moral force in the country. Why is it that the church is unable to set an example to the nation by exhorting its members to follow the path of austerity. Ballroom dancing is not morally reprehensible, yet perfunctory adherence to a moral code is not what Christianity is about.

It is a firm commitment which includes concern for the community. A ballroom dance to many concerned and thinking people in our present times is a manifestation of the cheek-to-cheek selfishness of an upper crust given to frolic even during times of social dislocation caused by political unrest and a high cost of living.

The committee needs to be reminded that there are other ways of collecting funds. A person who is willing to part with Rs. 1,400 for a couple may readily contribute Rs. 500 without the benefit of fun and frolic. Catholic schools seem so obsessed with the compulsion of fund-raising that sometimes the means adopted for that purpose are indiscriminately chosen. The past pupils of Devi Balika Vidyalaya built a hostel for school girls coming from distant villages by getting contributions from its past pupils as well as from other sources. As far as we are aware there was no mention of a dinner dance to swell the funds.

An amusing feature of the mock moral rectitude of those associated with the dance was the announcement at Mass in the parish church. 'Dinner dance' was announced as 'dinner', thereby revealing a hidden sense of unease and haunting guilt. The announcement since it was made before the concluding rite of the Mass, was a flagrant violation of liturgical norms, about which the church can be very finicky when it suits a narrow purpose.

Considering these grey areas it is a matter of concern as to why the church has failed to set up an institution which could train and prepare priests, nuns and laity, who function as teachers and principals of schools, to set the right moral tones in a multi- religious environment. After all the church prides itself on strictures both physical and institutional, which claim to deal with all aspects of life from the cradle to the grave.

Food for thought for those who should be concerned about inculcating the correct Christian values and putting them into practice in the education of present and future generations.

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