India does not need blind faith but rational thinking and a scientific temperament to counter dogmas and ideologies, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said at the conclusion of the sesquicentenary (150th year) celebrations of the St. Xavier’s collegiate school here on Saturday.
He also referred to three distinguished old boys — Rabindranath Tagore, Jagadish Bose and Jyoti Basu — and said Mr. Basu is a great son of India and his thoughts and prayers were with him for his speedy recovery.
Dr. Singh said while institutions like St. Xavier’s laid the basis for English language education in Bengal, the missionaries adopted an inclusive approach instead of looking upon learning as an elitist enterprise. “The fathers also built excellent schools in tribal areas,” he said, adding that they learnt Indian languages and familiarised themselves with the customs and conditions of the regions where they worked.
Referring to the 19th century, when St. Xavier’s was founded, Dr. Singh said this was also a period of profound religious introspection leading to an understanding and appreciation of various religious traditions. “The coming together of European and Indian culture made this flowering possible.”
The Jesuit fathers, self-consciously or otherwise, became a part of this confluence of cultures and learning. “They made themselves an integral part of and reinforced India’s culture of religious tolerance and secularism,” Dr. Singh said. “I salute them for their immense contribution to the intellectual enrichment of our people and to nation-building.”
He urged all those associated with school education to pay special attention to the modernisation of the syllabi and to the overall development of the children. In the months to come, the government will pay even greater attention to the development of school education.
The Prime Minister urged the States to ensure that Central funds were well-spent. “Our government has raised public investment in education very steeply. Never before has so much money been invested in education,” he said.
Dr. Singh also emphasised on the need to give every child access to education within a reasonable distance from his home, reminiscing how as a young boy he had to walk miles to go to school. “That should not be the lot of our children in future.”
West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee who was also present said the State government had given autonomy to St. Xavier’s, and six acres had been allotted on the E M Bypass on the city’s eastern fringes for a second campus.
