Education for Social Transformation:  CNI Educational Policy  

Education not only builds character but also a nation.  Therefore, its importance in socialization cannot be ruled out.  The church has to be more proactive than ever before in promoting right sense of education or quality education.  For which a proper educational policy should be in its place.  Keeping this in mind the Church of North India has been processing ideas, ideologies with theological conviction to empower and to equip its educational institutions run and managed either directly by the Synod or by its Dioceses to make education worth a pursuit by each one and everyone living in the society.  It must be a service and not a business!  

Following up with what had happened in the 1^st phase of this process at Nainital during 23^rd to 25^th May 2008 the Church of North India organized yet another consultation at CNI Bhawan, New Delhi from 15^th to 17^th August 2008 to formulate a CNI Educational Policy.  The consultation was attended by reputed academics, Head of different educational institutions, Bishops and Office Bearers of CNI.  Welcoming the delegates the General Secretary of CNI, Rev. Dr. Enos Das Pradhan outlined the brief history of the process and its expected outcome of a handbook on CNI Educational Policy.  Different people who shared their inputs on the proposed policy include Rev. Dr. Valson Thampu, Principal of St. Stephen College, New Delhi, Dr. Nirmal Andrews, Dr. S. D. Chand, Mr. Sudipta Singh, Director Programmes of CNI, and Dr. V. J. Sirwaiya, Principal of Wilson College, Bombay.  

Different aspects of education and its structural and institutional viabilities were minutely discussed.  At the end of the consultation when the draft policy was read out it was also affirmed that as church ‘we need to mix with others rather than live in isolation’ to be the salt, light and leaven.