Anthony D’Lima
The Church has been engaged in the education of the young for centuries and has contributed immensely to the uplift of the less fortunate in the society. In Goa the educational apostolate has been carried out under various names throughout the Portuguese regime. Within months of the end of the Portuguese rule in Goa, the Diocesan Society of Education (DSE) was established in 1962, under the Societies Registration Act, 1860, with the aim of working systematically for the education of the youth at all levels and without discrimination of class or creed, in order to turn them into useful, loyal and enlightened citizens of our motherland.
The vision statement of the DSE is “That all may have life and have it in abundance.” Through it the DSE aims at providing a humanising, liberating and quality education, which works as a gateway to the socio-cultural and economic development of persons and of the country; it is also particularly concerned at helping the Catholic youth to be committed followers of Christ. One of the goals of the DSE is to help students to think for themselves, independently and critically and to apply knowledge to the solution of human problems.
The Church in Goa has established, through the DSE, 85 educational institutions for the benefit of the student community, right from primary schools to university colleges. This is besides the other 108 Catholic educational institutions managed by various religious congregations, which come, along with the DSE, under the Archdiocesan Board of Education (ABE). Every year the DSE felicitates the toppers from its various institutions, either subject wise, as in the school section or stream wise, as in the higher secondary and college sections.
The initiative to hold this DSE Felicitation Day was taken by the present Secretary of the Diocesan Society of Education, Fr Zeferino D’Souza, who has dedicated all his energies for the progress of the DSE and of the student community, throughout the last 11 years that he has been on the post. He has opened new Higher Secondary Schools in the rural areas, in order to facilitate access to higher education to every child and has helped DSE rise to the position it commands today in the field of education in our State. It is pertinent to mention that DSE institutions do not accept donations at the time of the admission of students.
The DSE Felicitation Day is one form of publicly recognising and appreciating students who excel in their academic performance. Most of the children studying today in DSE institutions are from the marginalised sector. These are the children who, without the help of dedicated DSE teachers, would perhaps grow into obnoxious elements in our midst.
The DSE Felicitation Day will take place this year on the September 28, at the Kala Academy, Panjim. The felicitation consists in a cash prize and a certificate of appreciation, received at the hands of the Archbishop of Goa and Daman, who is also the Chairman of the Society. This year’s event has been fully sponsored by Maria Crescencia Menezes Memorial Educational Trust and Pascoal and Maria Menezes Benevolence Foundation.
