School

The Don Bosco Institute, located in a rapidly expanding suburb of Dhaka, has inaugurated a new six-story building with the support of the Italian Church. The facility was blessed by Bishop Gomes in the presence of Father Fabio Attard, the Rector Major’s representative. Established in 2022 with 51 students in makeshift premises, the school now has 227 pupils, the majority of whom are Muslim.

A survey promoted by the Fondazione Intercultura found that 45 per cent of teenagers are interested in a period of study in China. It also gathered the impressions of those who have already done so, suggesting a positive view of relationships and culture, and excellent professional benefits. Yet, there is also a greater awareness of the country as it really is, beyond the myth of its technological prowess.

The school, which has been seeking a permanent home for twenty years, is facing protests from residents of Gangseo. Arrivals from the North are at their lowest level in recent years, but due to tensions following the mine explosions and the transfer of two North Korean soldiers from Ukraine, Seoul is struggling to reopen dialogue with Pyongyang.

The meeting on 28 September between the nuncio and the Archbishop of Dhaka and the Minister of Education was deemed “extremely positive”. There are at least a thousand Catholic schools nationwide, often in remote areas. Guarantees were sought regarding their administration, and attention was drawn to the new registration requirements.

During a parliamentary debate in Damascus, criticism was levelled at the “excessive number of female teachers” and calls were made for corporal punishment (which the Minister of Education has, however, ruled out). Meanwhile, an estimated two million children have dropped out of school due to poverty. And the issue of safeguarding the identity of minorities remains unresolved.

The government is removing the requirement that at least 30 per cent of the equity of companies operating private educational institutions be held by Bumiputera partners, specifically, ethnic Malay. The measure does not affect student quotas nor does it alter admission policies for public universities, where other quota systems remain in place.

The new establishment, successor to the technical school founded in the 1960s by PIME and transferred to the diocese last year, has been officially inaugurated in Suihari. It will award engineering diplomas, addressing the needs of northern Bangladesh. For Director Michael Mardy, missionaries are “a gift of love and service.”

The building, which had been closed by the Assads, was damaged in December 2024 during clashes between government forces and rebels. Civil and religious authorities, as well as Christian and Muslim leaders, attended the opening ceremony. Vicar of Aleppo: “Young people cannot read or write. It is essential to revive education”.

Director Kedare resigns from IIT Bombay following students' demands for an independent inquiry into the death of a 19-year-old classmate amid allegations regarding the institute’s complicity in caste-based discrimination. A similar incident was reported in August at IIT Delhi.

The start, originally scheduled for 20 September, was postponed to 11 October, followed by a statement from the ministry confirming the start date as 1 October. Rumours link the decision to the coalition’s withdrawal and the handover of weapons by the militias. The Chaldean Patriarchate has provided school supplies and rucksacks for 475 children.

This is the third serious violent incident at a school since June. A 16-year-old student at Banga National High School opened fire, killing two students aged 14 to 17 before taking his own life with eight more wounded. For Cardinal Advincula, “We need to listen to” young people, “especially when they suffer quietly”.

In the Chinese education system, having an independent mind is a disqualifying factor from the outset and is subject to criticism from teachers and parents. It is no coincidence that the teaching method is mnemonic. And – as an AsiaNews source explains in this account – this is the broader context in which the growing bans on minors entering churches must also be understood.