Gujarat govt asks Christian schools to explain foreign connections

Gujarat govt asks Christian schools to explain foreign connections
EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE

Gandhinagar, Aug 10: Memories of the Gujarat Government's controversial circular, seeking the antecedents of Christian institutions two years ago, were resurrected for Christian schools in the State on Thursday. They received a circular from the District Education Officers seeking details about their country affiliations and foreign funds.

Three schools in and around Gandhinagar are among the first to receive the circular, which attaches a letter by the Union Human Resources Ministry stating that such a question was raised in the Lok Sabha on August 1. The circular, signed by the Gandhinagar DEO, asks the schools to send in the necessary information by August 10 itself.

The letter asks the Secretary of the State Education Department to furnish details about the number of missionary schools in Gujarat, and the ``names of the countries to whom these educational institutions belong alongwith the amount of annual assistance received from these countries, the Union and the state governments.'' The letter states that the question was raised in the Lok Sabha by MP Manihrao Hodlya Gavit, bearing number Dy.No. 4367 for August 1, 2000. The question seeks details of all institutions in the country.

The schools that received the letter include St Xaviers' School and Mount Carmel School in Gandhinagar and St Xavier's School in the neighbouring Kalol town. ``We are not shocked so much that such a question was being asked, but that the government that is supposed to have all this information is asking us to send the details,'' Father Hector Pinto, Principal of St. Xavier's School in Gandhinagar, told The Indian Express.

He said all Christian high schools in Gujarat were grant-in-aid schools, obviously set up with the government's permission. ``The government is quite aware that we receive funds from them, so the government also knows the number of Christian schools in the State. Is this anything else but harrassment?'' wondered Father Pinto.

When pointed out that it was an MP, who had the Parliamentary prerogative, rather than the government, who was seeking the details, Pinto remarked, ``I agree, but the very purpose of asking such a meaningless question raises suspicion.''

In Gandhinagar, he said, it was the state government which had invited them to start the schools ``since no officer was willing to come to this city when it was developed into a state capital.'' In fact, he said, the principals of St Xavier's and Mount Carmel were paid salaries by the Gujarat government itself.

When contacted, State Education Secretary Anand Mohan Bhardwaj said he was on leave and had read this letter from the Union HRD Ministry only on Thursday, but added that the letter must have been sent to all schools.

When told that the government already possessed details of the schools, Bhardwaj said, ``We will not have information about their foreign funding. I believe they are not funded by foreign countries, nor would they have any foreign affiliations, but since it is a Parliamentary question which has been admitted, we have to be sure.''

Father Cedric Prakash, convenor of the United Christian Forum for Human Rights in Delhi, commented, ``We are shocked that such a question has been admitted by Parliament. If they wish to know which countries missionary schools belong to, I would like to tell them that they belong to India.''

The forum had not decided on whether to reply to the question, he added, not just because the state governments would have all this information, but also because ``we find this entire thing dubious.'' He said he was discussing the issue with other missionary institutions in Delhi before deciding on their stance.