By M. Arockiasamy Xavier, SJ
Fr. Audibert, the courageous French Jesuit who was the first Principal of St. Joseph’s College, which was started in Nagapattinam and later shifted to Trichy, had to face the excessive, unbearable summer heat, and epidemics like cholera and plague. I have just completed six years as the Principal of this renowned college, where President Abdul Kalam was once a student. The challenges I have faced in these years are not the ones faced by Fr. Audibert and his colleagues. Let me talk about these challenges, which many other Jesuit principals in India are likely to face.
Traditionally, Jesuit educational institutions don’t stop with imparting knowledge and developing the skills of students. They aim at making the student a better person, who would go on to create a better society. They believe that education should lead not merely to one’s socio- economic progress, but also for upholding basic human values such as genuine concern for the poor, caring for Mother Earth and working for social harmony in a diverse society.
Earlier education was considered a service done in God’s name to the people. This is why Jesuits and other religious orders started educational institutions. Even when some philanthropists and democratic governments started educational institutions, service was their main aim. But today in the field of education, there are many who see it as a profit-making business.
Challenges: Jesuit educators today have to compete with such private players whose aims are different. Educational institutions run by corporates or business magnets attract the bright, studious and hardworking students from the creamy layers. But we want to serve students from marginalised communities and the first generation learners, who have been deprived of opportunities for ages. Jesuits want to provide the best to the least. In the process the Jesuit educators face challenges both from the individual level and the institutional level. By individuals I mean the students and the staff and institutions mean the government agencies.
Challenges from students: The present-day Gen Z youth are, of course, talented, dynamic, lively, creative, techno-savvy, quick to react and have greater exposure to the world through internet. While a miniscule minority of this generation are very creative, highly motivated and working hard for a future they dream of, a vast majority is mediocre or content with their low academic performance.
Attitudinal issues: As adolescents, students are struggling to discover their identity, their personality, and to develop correct perspectives about the world and society. They would like to experience all that thrills and excites them. Many of them are easy going and lethargic. Their complacency and satisfaction with mediocrity seem to have become worse after the Covid ’19 pandemic. They have a low level of motivation. They don’t seem to realize that what they do now will affect their future. Many suffer from a low self-image and so their self-confidence is very low. They want instant results, and so they are not ready to wait. Only the end seems to matter – not the means.
Many of the students today are easy going and lethargic. Their complacency and satisfaction with mediocrity seem to have become worse after the Covid ’19 pandemic.
Cognitive Issues: When there is a need for continuous learning in this highly competitive world, most students lack interest in updating their subject knowledge, even when so many resources are easily available. Language proficiency in their own mother tongue and English is far from satisfactory. Many want just to have a good time and are not ready to work hard and spend enough time to develop their talents and skills.
Behavioural issues: An alarmingly large number of today’s youth are addicted to substances and their mobiles. This addiction makes them waste their money, time, and energy. They are easily upset and are not ready to accept even minor failures, mild disappointments and slight insults. They find it difficult to handle them. Procrastination, inability to prioritize things in life, lack of professionalism and systematic approach in their academic life hamper their growth. This generation – like all others – longs for love, but unlike the previous generations, don’t realize that they need to love if they want to be loved, care if they want to be cared for. They want unlimited freedom, but they do not seem to realize that their freedom is always linked with responsibility. A good number are cynical and hyper critical. They are fun-loving and resort to short cuts to find solutions. They don’t bother about what the older generations called ‘good manners’. They don’t respect the elderly. They lack analytical skills and a rational approach to issues.
Challenges from the teaching fraternity: Teachers who work in our institutions are expected to share the ideals and vision of Jesuit education as they are collaborators in our mission. But many Jesuits would have noticed that today’s teachers are very different from those who worked in our institutions earlier. Today greed, lethargy, and sluggishness make many of them mediocre. Except a few, many seem to lack sincerity and commitment to the teaching profession, a passion for teaching, efforts towards continuous learning, eagerness to become better teachers, accompaniment of students with genuine care, loyalty to the institution, and duty consciousness. They are very slow to update their knowledge of the subject they teach and new techniques to keep pace with the techno- savvy students of today.
How many of our teachers would play any role in making our students conscious of what is right and wrong in our socio-political context and in making them powerful instruments for the transformation of the world? Most fail to engage the creative minds of bright students. A considerable number of the faculty do not deliver quality presentations in their class room and are unable to publish quality research papers which are expected of them. They do not keep the deadlines.
Jealousy, sectarian attitude and groupism among the faculty cause unnecessary tension to the Jesuit administrators and bring down the reputation of the institution.
Challenges from Government Agencies: All colleges in India have to function within the parameters formulated by three important government agencies – University Grants Commission – UGC (now Ministry of Education of the Union Government), Directorate of Collegiate Education of the State Government and the local university to which the college is affiliated. All these keep issuing norms and guidelines to the institutions.
Of late all these bodies attempt to infringe on the rights of minority institutions. They want to control us in various ways. And it is difficult to comply with their orders as they are issued at the eleventh hour. Earlier the UGC functioned as a co-ordinating body but of late it is working as a controlling body. UGC used to sanction financial assistance for research and conducting academic programmes, but this has completely stopped.
The Directorate has to approve all our sanctioned posts for government aid. But since they have refused to do this for the past ten years, we are forced to file court cases, hoping that the Court would sanction the post. Ours are autonomous colleges which can function independently from the parent university. That is why they are called autonomous colleges. But for the past few years the parent university has treated our colleges like any constituent college of the university. It expects us to get permission from them for even minor matters. All these consume so much of our energy and time.
Earlier education was considered a service done in God’s name to the people. But today in the field of education, there are many who see it as a profit-making business.
What should the Jesuit educator be?: A Jesuit educator is both an administrator and a formator who carries out his mission with the Ignatian spirit of Magis. He is expected to be a visionary leader, who has clearly thought-out plans in order to take the institution to greater heights and give greater visibility to the college. In my opinion, a system-centric approach than a person-centric administration would fetch better results. In order to be an effective Jesuit educator, he requires total commitment to his mission, a broad universal outlook, a compassionate heart, and aptitude for cura personalis. He is expected to treat people with respect and dignity, willingness to consult and look for wise counsel from his fellow officials.
He should be a person who could connect with various stakeholders – students, faculty, alumni, government agencies, local bodies, other educational institutions, the province administration, industries, etc. Familiarity with the latest changes and trends in education at the global and national level would help him respond to the emerging issues and changing situations. Cheerfulness while working, an accommodative nature, availability and approachability would help him interact positively with the faculty and motivate them to dedicate themselves to our common vision.
He should not merely be but seen to be impartial while dealing with teachers and students. He should be someone capable of blending firmness and kindness. As a leader he should be a unifying force in the institution.
What could Jesuit educators do?: From my own experience I can say that loving accompaniment helps. Without criticizing the students or the faculty, we need to help them identify all their potentials and talents. We must help them understand the need for intellectual training and moral formation. Our patient, continuous engagement and meaningful interactions with students and teachers would certainly help them gain the right perspectives, imbibe values, develop their talents and learn new skills.
Given our social context, it is our duty to encourage them to appreciate cultural diversities and religious pluralism and to celebrate them in a meaningful manner. Some of these could be achieved by organizing regular sessions on these topics. Recognizing their achievements and creativity will yield results. The students should see the sincere efforts taken by the Jesuit educators to empower them by providing them an integral formation.
M. Arockiasamy Xavier, SJ, a Professor of History, is the Principal of St. Joseph’s College, Tiruchirapalli, Tamil Nadu. Earlier he was the Principal of Loyola College, Chennai. He can be contacted at aaxavi@yahoo.co.uk.