Archdiocese of Colombo, Sri Lanka calls for more teachers

(October 13, 2011) Church leaders in Sri Lanka have urged teachers to better cultivate religious and moral values among students irrespective of class, ethnicity or religious beliefs, stating that Catholic students have fewer opportunities than others. The call came during an event held to mark Catholic Teachers’ Day at St Joseph’s College in Colombo on Tuesday. “Treat every student with deep respect,” Archbishop Spiteri, Apostolic Nuncio told an audience of more than 1,000 which included clergy, nuns, government officials and educators from government and private schools. Fr Ranjith Madurawala, general manager of Catholic schools in Colombo, said most schools do not have the appropriate staff to teach the Catholic faith and many schools do not have even a single Catholic teacher. Catholic students have the same rights as other students with regard to free education and the right to the religious study of their choice, he added. Church sources in the capital said that in some schools, Catholic children study Buddhism as an alternative to Christianity and that more teachers are urgently needed to teach the Catholic faith. Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith praised the dedicated service of Catholic teachers. It is important to remember how your committed service affects the lives of our children, he said.