Hindu radicals dominate Orissa’s schools

(June 26, 2010) Radical Hindu groups in the Indian state of Orissa may have stolen a march on Christians by developing a large network of schools in rural areas of the state neglected by the Church, education expert fears. Since 1978, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) has built a network of 793 schools in the eastern state with a faculty of 12,000 teachers, local reports say. “The RSS has spearheaded the movement, successfully penetrating into the educational systems of both the grassroots and centralized regulatory commissions,” reported Asian Age. “A whole new generation is being grown indoctrinated in Hindutva. It is a devious strategy to teach hate to the young,” the paper claims. “The RSS made it clear that the schools, together with the primary schools in villages, were set up to counter the influence of the schools run by the Church,” John Dayal, President of the All India Christian Council, said. He lamented that Christian schools, which are mostly located in metropolitan cities and towns, have earned the reputation of being elite English language institutions for the rich and powerful. Barring a few exceptions, there are hardly any Christian schools in rural areas and the RSS-run schools fill the vacuum, providing quality education. He warned that the Church needs to do a rethinking in this regard. Father Anselm Biswal, former director of social work, agreed.