Headlines
Anti-Hindu accusation false propaganda: Goa convent schools
Panaji, April 20
Continuing to be accused of
being against Indian and Hindu culture, 'Conference of Religious', a
Church organisation which oversees the functioning of convent schools in
Goa, on Monday claimed that "false propaganda" was being spread to
mislead people.
In a statement issued here, Fr Paul Alvares,
president of the Conference of Religious in Goa, said "individual
religion and culture of the child" were respected and encouraged in the
schools operated by them.
"The Conference of Religious, Goa unit,
under which most of the convent schools come, would like to clarify
that we stand for secularism as enshrined in our constitution and
through our educational institutes we promote all religions and
encourage the upliftment and development of all cultures," the statement
said.
"India is a multi-cultural country with diverse forms of
living. We are not here to promote any one culture nor to promote any
one religion. We respect all religions and all cultures and we work to
develop the all round growth of the child, which includes physical,
intellectual, moral and social dimensions," the statement said.
Nearly
26 percent of the state's population is Christian, while there are over
130 schools which function under the aegis of the Archdiocese in Goa.
On
Sunday, in a statement issued here, the Hindu Janajagruti Samiti, a
right wing organisation based in Goa, alleged that convent schools do
not allow students to wear Indian dresses and kumkum and implored
parents not to admit their wards in schools run by Christian
institutions when the educational year opens in June.
On April 5,
Goa's Factories and Boilers Minister Deepak Dhavalikar's wife Lata
alleged that western culture leads to rape at a public meeting organised
by the Samiti and also said convent schools alienate children from
Hindu and Indian culture.
Her statement was backed a couple of days later by her husband.