By Fr Soroj Mullick, SDB –
Technology plays an important role in society and in educational field as well. Christian education takes “special care to bring Technology-aided education to the service of our marginalized brothers and sisters in the rural sector (cf. CEP 4.13).
The existing Catholic Education Policy states, “We help students to understand the languages, opportunities and challenges of the new technologies and of the media and to recognize the impact of these technologies on self, on people, on means of communication and on the future of society.”
The Church enables students “to understand how media communicates, so that they are able to use the media critically” (CEP 4.11). In the crisis of moral values in all walks of life, the educational institutions have to bring back the values in public as well as private lives and groom the students into such values.
Technology has become an integral part of education and has come a great way from the past prevalent parrot-like pedagogy. Now learning is taking place anywhere, anytime, not just limited to classrooms and texts. But technology is never a substitute for a teacher.
Today’s teachers, instead of teaching, should help their pupils become independent. Their job is to motivate them for lifelong learning by becoming autonomous learners. The implication of drastic changes in all walks of life is tremendous. Rethinking is needed, therefore, in being educators in response to these dramatic changes in the way persons communicate, find information, read, learn and work. In this technocratic changing scenario the Christian education system needs to be more flexible and responsive to the changes in order to maximise human resources, equip the learners with skills to face the future with confidence and responsibility.
Media literacy is to be used as a tool to propagate truth against fake news, fake history and divisive ideology with half-truths which they can be trained to assess, interrogate and not be carried away by media hype. E-learning needs to be revamped for wider outreach for: updating of teacher and ongoing training; teaching regular subjects, empowerment of the village persons, farmers, Panchayati Raj and women (CEP, 6.7); spread of useful information; improve quality, sharpen awareness of art and culture (National Policy on Education, 1986, 8.11).
To be continued…
Fr. Soroj Mullick, SDB is a Salesian priest from the Kolkata Province. He has a Licentiate in Catechetics and a Doctorate (Christian Education) from UPS, Italy. He has number of years of teaching experience in college and in the formation of future priests. Besides, he has written number of research papers and articles, and has 25 years of Ministry in India and abroad as Educator, Formator, Retreat Preacher, Editor and engaged in School, Parish Catechetical & Youth Ministry. He is now an assistant priest in Bandel Basilica, rendering pastoral and catechetical ministry to the parishioners and to the pilgrims. He can be contacted at [email protected].