(July 12, 2011): Kurnool diocese in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh has
come up with an ambitious plan to educate all its Catholic children and improve their
lot. On July 9, Bishop Anthony Poola of Kurnool met with the heads of all educational
institutions to discuss how best to achieve this goal.The 102 participants felt that
material help is only temporary while education will enable them to earn a living. If
a child is educated, he is able to get a good job and change his social status. He
will, in turn, educate his children and thus generations could benefit, they said.
Kurnool diocese, has a combined Catholic population of 72,000. The diocese has 123
Church-run schools. Noting that the best gift parents can give their children is
a good education, the bishop said: “It is our duty to open wide our educational institutions
to them.” All participants decided to offer as many incentives as possible to Catholic
children and encourage parents to enroll them in schools.