Churches protest to block bill; churh schools gear up for rights fight

Calcutta, West Bengal – Classes in about 700 schools run by Christian missionaries in Calcutta and elsewhere in the districts were suspended on Tuesday, as students, teachers and guardians joined the church in a rally to press for the withdrawal of the School Service Commission (Amendment) Bill, 2006.

Church people in West Bengal are opposing a move by the eastern Indian state's communist government that they say would limit private schools' autonomy.

Bishop Cyprian Monis of Asansol led nuns, parents, priests and teachers – more than 10,000 protestors – in a protest march on April 4 through the streets of Asansol, 1,210 kilometers (about 750 miles) southeast of New Delhi. They presened a memorandum to Deputy Magistrate Sadhan Chandra Guir of Asansol district, addressed to the state governor, Gopal Krishna Gandhi that opposes an amendment to the School Service Commission Act.

They gathered at Shahid Minar and marched to the Gandhi statue on Mayo Road, where the church authorities threatened to intensify their movement if the government ignored their demand. They, however, announced that educational institutions run by them would function normally from Wednesday.

Church people say the amendment would take away the existing freedom that a church school's management has to appoint teachers, after announcing openings through newspaper advertisements and interviewing applicants.

The amendment is "perceived as an interference of the govenment in the administration of the minority schools," Bishop Monis said before the protest march got underway. Teachers from 20 schools managed by Christians and Sikhs joined in the march.

The rally organisers will start a signature campaingn from Wednesday to spread awareness about the fallout of the bill, which makes it mandatory for all state–aided minority institutions to recruit teachers through the school service commission.

A relay hunger strike on the first day of the new Assembly session is also on the cards. "If need be, we will court arrest and even launch a fast–unto–death," warned Herod Mullick, general secretary of Bangiya Christiya Pariseba, one of the organisers of the demonstration.

Lucas Sircar, archbishop of Calcutta, urged the church leaders to persuade the government “at any cost” to withdraw the bill. “How will the state government react if the Gujarat government introduces a bill that takes away the rights of the minorities?”

Representatives of a number of reputed Anglo–Indian schools — despite school education minister Kanti Biswas’s assurance that they would not fall under the bill’s purview — attended the rally.

Schools run by the Calcutta diocese of the Church of North India, however, stayed open as they have decided to organise a separate movement.

Mullick argued that church–run schools, known for their excellence, will lose “their character and uniqueness” if the bill is enacted.

“Most missionary schools cater to the common people. Not a single good school will exist if the missionary–run institutions are not allowed to recruit teachers on their own,” he asserted.

While accepting the memorandum, Guir said he knows that "Christian schools do a lot for the welfare of the students, and thus they need to be given freedom to choose appropriate teachers for their schools."

Christian school officials such as Father Sebastian Lourdu, headmaster of St. Joseph's School in Asansol, said the government move would "deter the academic sanity and moral standards of our institutions."

The priest said appointments currently are done with the permission of the district educational officer, and he described the process as "foolproof."

After job applications are invited by advertisements, he said, a committee of five experts interviews the candidates. The committee is appointed by the school management committee and includes a teacher from a government school.

The school secretary then forwards the certificates of the selected candidates and the interview records to the district inspector of schools, Father Lourdu explained.

Sister Phyllis Morris, principal of Loreto School in Asansol, said that although government schools operate in the state, parents prefer Christian schools for their children. "It is because of the moral standards and high intellectual caliber of our teachers," she said.

The nun said the church people fear government–appointed teachers might vitiate their schools' peaceful atmosphere. She said the schools have developed and inculcated values among students and teachers over the years.

Mritunjay Das, a teacher in a Christian school who joined the protest march, said most government teachers are involved in politics. Government–appointed teachers "may lead to politicization of education in minority schools."

State Education Minister Kanti Biswas has stated that the amendment aims to promote uniform teaching standards.

The amendment, which the government passed Feb. 20, requires the governor's consent to take effect. It stipulates that only the government–nominated School Service Commission can appoint teachers in minority–managed schools that receive state government funds to pay teachers' salaries.

The Indian constitution allows religious and linguistic minorities to establish and manage educational institutions to help their communities' development. These are generally termed minority institutions.

The bill has put the churches in a fix. If the schools continue to accept government aid, they will have to appoint teachers through the commission. They can avoid interference if they stop accepting the grant, which would mean an increased financial burden that might result in a hike in tuition fees and freeze on teachers’ salaries.