The Jesuit educational mission in rural Chotanagpur, India: historical achievements and contemporary challenges

Abstract

Jesuit schools, in particular, have been known for a long time to be centres of learning in Chotanagpur area, India, where tremendous efforts were made to achieve a high level of academic excellence; yet it appears that this legacy is not being sustained among rural, tribal, vernacular schools of Chotanagpur these days because of varied reasons. In addition, it is observed that the agents of education, namely teachers, working in these schools have ceased to represent desirable attitudes (psychological wellbeing and affective commitment) which are essential for the teaching-learning process. If Jesuits want to maintain relevant and inspirational education in Chotanagpur, then they need to discern, decide, and dedicate themselves to guarantee teachers’ psychological well-being and affective commitment so that teachers can become creators of the Jesuit education ethos. Against this backdrop, the present research paper discusses the scenario of Jesuit run rural schools in Chotanagpur its historical achievements and contemporary challenges. In addition, practical implications and recommendations for a better future are discussed.