Jeffrey Fernandes sdb
MUMBAI, JUNE 2, 2008: The Third National Convention of Don Bosco Tech India, an association of Technical Institutes across Salesian India, was held at the Provincial House, Chennai on May 25, 2008. Close to 100 members were present for the convention. Fr. Stanislaus, Provincial of the Chennai Province welcomed the gathering and spoke passionately of the manner in which Don Bosco got his collaborators to assist him in his work for the artisans. While congratulating the work done by the DB Tech India, he cautioned the members not to sell themselves to Corporates who might have their own agenda for networking with us. He said that we have our own brand to sell and we should excel in our field as trainers so that others can choose us as a model to imitate for the future of Technical Education. The keynote address was given then by Dr. P. Basak, Scientist and Researcher and former member of the Planning Commission. His deliberations were loaded with inspirational quotes from Don Bosco whom he had studied and researched. His interventions were challenges facing the uneducated and school-dropouts now caught up in the unorganized sector. The huge numbers and percentages of types of people available in the market and the types of youth wanted by the employers was a sheer eye opener for most of us. Next, Fr. George Mathew, Secretary of DB Tech India reported on the activities carried out by the network in the last two years. Mr. Lourdes Baptista apprised the assembly of the industry-institute partnership that has emerged as a result of the network. Fr. Corlis Gonsalves presented Don Bosco Chinchwad as a national institution, since it caters to youngsters all over India. In his characteristic generosity Fr. Corlis opened the doors of his institution to the street children across India who wish to move from marginalization to main stream through skill development at his institution via Work2livE programme. Fr. A M Jose, Provincial Economer, New Delhi Province and the chief architect of coordination between the DB Tech India and COMIDE, Belgium and JDW Bonn, Germany briefed the assembly about the support given by these two Salesian agencies for strengthening of the network through standardization and certification of the non-formal courses in our institutions. The final event on the agenda was the election of the National Core Committee. The members elected were Fr. A.M. Jose, Fr. George Matthew, Fr. Savio Silveira, Fr. Jeffery Gladstone, Br. Cyriac and Fr. Benny Alex. Fr. Adolph Furtado and Fr. V. M Thomas were co-opted into the core committee. Concluding the Convention, Fr. Noel Maddhichetty, Provincial of Hyderabad and the Provincial in-charge of DB Tech India thanked the outgoing members of the task force for the courage and enthusiasm they had shown in steering this national network. He appealed to the members to continue to educate the poor and disadvantaged in livelihood skills, raise the standards of our technical schools across India and lay equal emphasis on character formation of youngsters in our institutions thus forming good and honest skilled youngsters for a peaceful and prosperous India.