HONG KONG: 9th June 2005 -- Meeting at St Louis School,
Hong Kong, last Saturday, a group of 45 leaders of Salesian schools
throughout Hong Kong and Macau focused particularly on the basic
options of the 2004 Provincial Chapter. This Chapter had
identified (1) the importance of solidarity with all poor Chinese youth
(2) building up the EPC, and (3)
examining how Salesian schools cared for the 10% of their students who
are poor. The meeting also took place in the context of the Centenary
of Salesian presence in China, though it is part of a regular thrice a year meeting of the group.
The participants included 18 SDBs and 25 lay
principals. School education, as carried out under Salesian auspices in the China Province, is a vast
enterprise. As part of the Province management there are a number
of joint offices, one of which is the School Management
Secretariate. This secretariate has responsibilities not only
within the province but also in representing the province's
educational work before Government.
One of the ways Salesian schools have been able to
give thought to the wider cohort of young
people in China is through Government-sponsored educational seminars
for principals in mainland China. Another way is through prayer for
Chinese youth.
The Provincial, Fr Savio Hon Tai Fai, emphasised the
importance of the 10% of poor youth in Salesian schools, indicating
that this is what Don Bosco would be doing. The meeting
considered some specifics such as the organisation of tutorial classes
for Form 5-7 students and for younger students. The Province's
schools have also supported a number of initiatives including an
adventure-based programme, Love & Life Education, founded by the
FMA past pupils. It is important, in the values climate of Hong
Kong today, Fr Savio said, to apply the preventive system by promoting
life education.
In a special initiative meant to benefit both
the schols and formation, young Salesians from the Formation House will
go around the schools during 2005-6 promoting a programme in
Salesianity, the Preventive System, which they have prepared under the
guidance of their Rector Fr Fedrigotti.
The SARs have been
through a re-organisation and reform of education in recent times, but
this reform affects the amount of paperwork and external features more
than the day-to-day life of the schools. The proposed new
Constitution for Salesian Schools in the Province, a document revised
by the Salesian School Management Office, was distributed to
participants.
VOCABULARY
EPC: Educative and Pastoral Community
thrice: three times
auspices: patronage, guiding direction
cohort: group
SAR: Special Administrative Region; term
applied to Hong Kong and Macau to recognise their special status within
China
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