The benefits of Catholic Education by Yuh Maurice Martin

By:

Y... Maurice Martin

Christ The KingCollege – TIKO

Cell: +237 75 26 75 72

Email: ymauricemartin@yahoo.com

            Rather than seeing Catholic Education as merely the addition of a religion course to the usual academic subjects, we want our students to make Christian sense out of what they learn in natural science and the rest of other subjects like math’s, history economics etc in their study of art, music and culture.     

            Values are usually determined by the beliefs we hold. They are ideas about what some one or a group thinks is important in life and they play a very important part in our decision-making processes. We express our values in the way we think and act. This meaning that mental, physical and spiritual formation which is the first vision of Catholic Education is very important in any Education circle. Catholic Education takes place in communities inspired by the Spirit of Christ. Christ’s commandment to love God and neighbors inspires a caring ethos which is expressed in relationships within and beyond Catholic schools.

            The unity of truth which is the essence of Catholic Education and which distinguishes the Catholics from others is the main light which outweighs other systems. Catholic Education has made possible the catholicity of truth under all the relations of life, in religion, civilization etc. Also the formation of an open Christian culture is sufficient conscience of the values of culture secure and equal footing.

Catholic values today is also trying by all cost to discourage the spirit of individualism which had supportably been expanded by Television, Video Games, Tapes, Music, Computer and the Internet which excite their senses with fantastic images and sounds that has forged firm culture bounds among them “and usually set them at odds with their parents and the world”.

Finally, thanks to the information revolution of the Catholic Education Agency in Buea Diocese, the young people (student) are singularly impressed by facts they can access  them in the World Wide Web and elsewhere with ease, for what the generation need is not more data but meaning”. More over, what is needed to educate the new generation to lead the very new society which they will inherit from the older generation is an education in the liberal arts, Technical know-how, humanizing liberal arts education grounded in a Catholic vision of man and the world. It’s a clear fact that Catholic Schools doest’ base only attention on book alone and forget other aspects of life, for man as a whole is made up of moral, spiritual and physical values which must all be reform if not so we may face the terrible prospects of a new technological world built upon either no moral sense or the wrong sense. It is for this reason that the Catholic Teachers (or Coaches) as referred to by the Catholic Education family of Buea Diocese– offers students the intellectual and moral formation so that they can make firm moral judgments in the face of new situations and to recognize new manifestations on eternal verities.

            The “Catholic Curriculum” and Manifesto also seek to reflect values on students such as the commitment to:

Ø      Affirm student’s basic goodness, to promote their dignity, to honor their fundamental rights and to develop their gifts to the fullest.

Ø      Educate students to live responsibly for the fullness of life for self and others;

Ø      Convince and mould students to live as is their lives are worthwhile and have historic significance, that their every good effort advances the well-being of all

Ø      To encourage students to see that all of God’s creation is essentially good; though we can misuse or abuse it, what God has made and makes is never inherently evil.

Ø      Catholic Education is rooted in the Gospel values of Respect for Life, Love, Solidarity, Truth and Justice; it aims to harmonize faith and culture, build a better society and pursue the Common Good.

The development of each person’s full potential in a climate of joy, freedom, respect, challenge, co-operation and celebration;             

The enrichment of pupil life – intellectual, physical, spiritual, moral, social and emotional;

The promotion of a spirit of charity, social justice, global awareness and concern for others leading to practical outreach and partnerships;             

A culture of tolerance where people of diverse identities are recognized, welcomed, respected and cherished;

Listening, mutual understanding, trust, reconciliation, healing and peace;

The preparation of pupils to lead fulfilling and purposeful lives which will contribute to the Common Good.

Ø      Together, Catholic Schools provide high quality, rounded education for all young people, so that they develop their full uniqueness and potentials.

            Moreover, in addition to the above values, experience has proven that students from a Catholic background (Institute) also gain values such as:

1)      A Sense of Tradition: All religion have a tradition. We as Catholics have a long tradition of 2000 years. We need not reinvent the wheel because we share the knowledge and experience of the past and apply it to the new experiences in which we find ourselves including the various cultures of the world. The Catholic task is to hand-over what we received in a way that forms people with a sense of their importance as persons.

2)      Unity of Knowledge: The nature of education is to impart knowledge. Today, people often see specialization as necessary all the way through one’ schooling. A Catholic approach provides a sense of unity to this search for truth . Through its understanding of the human person in relation to God, all knowledge is seen as springing from source. Truth by definition cannot contradict truth. In the Catholic education, this search for a higher synthesis of knowledge will be kept alive. Catholic Education is inclusive.  It is respectful of, and engages with people of all beliefs; it encourages the religious development of all in their own faith.

3)      The Light of Faith: Any school that calls itself Christian and neglects the word and teachings of God deprives itself of an important source of truth. Our schools are to be the place in which faith enters into conversation with reason on every level. Be it at the elementary or higher fields of levels.

4)      A sense of Mission: All the knowledge in the world will do little good unless it is transformed into living ones’ life in a moral way, eg working for peace and justice in the world. The question here is “Who can do this work without a foundation such as has been describe above? By the integrity they have learned, students from this background will have much to offer with a society that is fractured beyond belief.

Emphatically, Christian sense here does not mean that Christian faith interfere or overrides the methods proper to the various academic disciplines, or that it has us reject the legitimate contributions of non-Catholics; it means rather that these discipline, while being fully respected according to their proper autonomy, should as the nature of each allows, be brought into relation to Christian revelation. And in the encounter with human knowledge Catholic faith not only but also receives; consequently our students’ faith becomes real and embodies in such a way as to deepened and enriched.

            To round-up, our sense of who we are as Catholics and our sharing of our values is what drives our educational efforts in all our Catholic Institutions. To be sincere, the education of our Christians in this manner, with these values, will place us in good stead as we enter more fully in the next society that is constantly growing with a lot of vices particularly in Africa where human value has no dignity.

            “In a Catholic Institute, you are given a wonderful gift, and at the same time given a tremendous challenge”

God bless Us All

Maurice Martin Y.