ASIA/BANGLADESH - Society shows a growing esteem for Catholic schools as institutions that offer excellence in work and education

Dhaka (Agenzia Fides) – The Catholic schools in Bangladesh have proven their excellence as they lead the country in quality education, based on an analysis of their faculty, organization, and curriculum. As the missionaries working in this field explain, the students that come from Catholic institutions, in comparison to those from public schools, show themselves to have a greater preparation and are highly esteemed by Bangladesh’s society in general.
The weekly publication, “Pratibeshi,” issued by the Communications Office of Bangladesh’s Catholic Bishop Conference, conducted a survey in 20 Catholic-run schools in the Archdiocese of Dhaka. The results said that of the 1,961 students (total), only 71 failed the secondary school exam, giving a passing rate of 96%. The rate is impressive, especially considering that the passing rate on a national level is 70.81%.
The Catholic Church in Bangladesh runs 287 schools and colleges with close to 143,500 students. There is a growing interest in Catholic schools from the Muslim population as well. About 90 percent of the students at the 227 primary schools, 56 high schools and four colleges are not Christians and mostly come from Muslim families, as Islam is the major religion in the country.
As the “Banglanews” periodical reports, in Dhanjuri, the schools run by orders such as the Missionaries of Immaculate Mary or the local order of Mary Queen of Apostles, have helped to raise the level of the Catholic schools in the area. All the Catholic-run schools have a high reputation among their students and parents of different religions. They not only appreciate the quality education, but also the long-term formation, as well as the extracurricular activities, discussions, and cultural activities.
As the school volunteers affirm, the Catholic schools carry out the work of “educating the youth, who will become the country’s leaders in the future, with healthy principles – no matter what religion they belong to. This is a real form of missionary work.” (PA) (Agenzia Fides 16/9/2008)