Staff Reporter
DIMAPUR, OCTOBER 23
The Don Bosco brand in Nagaland is synonymous not only with excellent quality of education but also with uplift of the “economically marginalized sections of the society” through impartation of vocational and technical education.
This observation was delivered by the Administrator of Dimapur Municipal Council, Atokhe Aye on Friday evening at an event that marked the inauguration of the bicentenary celebration of Don Bosco. The three-day event also hosts a youth fest, with participants from numerous schools from the northeast states.
According to the DMC chief, the wide presence of Don Bosco schools in the state are a testament to the contribution of the Salesian family towards the growth of education in Nagaland and to how they have managed to raise the bar.
“The trust and faith that people have on Don Bosco schools towards the delivery of education has given a tough competition to other private institutions and government schools as well. The various vocational and technical courses being freely imparted by the Salesians to the economically marginalized sections of the society have helped many people and are gaining people’s appreciation for the Don Bosco institutes.
“The courses imparted thereby offer the youth to become skilled and a useful human resource contributing to nation building. Such courses increase the quality of livelihood options and prepare the young people to meet the requirements of the industry. Another good thing is that the Bosco institutions facilitate linkages with the recruiters for the trainees” he shared.
In a message directed to the students, Atokhe said that their primary duty, in the midst of the numerous co-curricular activities, is to achieve academic excellence. “Academic excellence has no bar between boys and girls. A girl can achieve the same level of excellence that a boy achieves. In fact, in many areas girls are getting better than boys.
“There is no ceiling set or any limitation for a particular gender to achieve things in life. As long as you commit yourself to work hard with total sincerity and dedication, you can scale greater heights.”
Atokhe also used the platform to drive home the message of hygienic living to the young students. “DMC has been relentlessly working towards giving a facelift to Dimapur town and we have undertaken numerous developmental projects in many areas. Improvements in the area of clogged drainage, flood issues, garbage bins, connecting roads and bridges etc are for the people to see.
“One thing I reiterate many times is the humble appeal to throw garbage in designated places and at stipulated times. Garbage seen strewn all over the road is not only a bad sight but hazardous for health.
In this regard, I call upon young energetic students gathered here to take the lead beginning from your homes, friend circles, colonies and educate people about inculcating sense of hygiene,” he said. The inaugural function was followed by a competition called “Gospel Choreography”, in which seven schools from Assam, Manipur and Nagaland participated.
St. John Bosco, popularly known as Don Bosco was an Italian Roman Catholic priest, educator and writer of the 19th century. While working in Turin, where the population suffered many of the effects of industrialization and urbanization, he dedicated his life to the betterment and education of street children, juvenile delinquents, and other disadvantaged youth. He developed teaching methods based on love rather than punishment, a method that became known as the Salesian Preventive System. A follower of the spirituality and philosophy of Saint Francis de Sales, Bosco dedicated his works to him when he founded the Salesians of Don Bosco, based in Turin. Together with Maria Domenica Mazzarello, he founded the Institute of the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians, a religious congregation of nuns dedicated to the care and education of poor girls.
In 1876 Bosco founded a movement of laity, the Association of Salesian Cooperators, with the same educational mission to the poor. Bosco believed education to be a “matter of the heart” and said that the youth must not only be loved, but know that they are loved. He also pointed to three components of the Preventive System: reason, religion and kindness. Music and games also went into the mix.
