“Common Space” in Catholic Schools –
Is it really “common”?
On the 23rd of April, 40 Principals, teachers, parents and staff of the Archdiocesan Commission for Catholic Schools gathered in the Training and Development Centre of Catholic Junior College to exchange and explore the meaning of “Common Space” for Catholic Schools in Singapore. The occasion was the 2nd of the ‘Communio’ series organised by ACCS to bring together educators around topics of concern and interest in education today.
The term “Common Space” came into the public eye when it was mentioned by the Prime Minister last year during his National Day Rally Speech. He even used an example of a Catholic School to show how a school with religious affiliation can be a ‘common space’ where all Singaporeans feel they are respected and can thrive.
As Educators in Catholic Schools it is important that we articulate what we mean by “Common Space” in order not to empty it of all meaningful content. There is a danger that we may interpret it as the space where discussion on religious, racial or any other ‘sensitive’ questions is taboo. We could without realising it actually shrink our ‘common space’. It is true that we have a great deal of ‘common ground’ in our schools : we are all concerned about the well-being of our children; we believe we are known and loved by a creator-God; we want our young people to become good human beings and citizens. However, is there something specific in the way we should understand ‘common space’ in a school with a religious point of view?
Before we can understand the concept of ‘Common Space’ we need to understand the context within which we are having this discourse.
We are at a point of growth in our Catholic Schools where we need to address the question of our identity once again. We are no longer in those early missionary days where the religious orders pioneered the education of the poor and of girls in a situation where education was provided to the privileged few. We have today an education system in Singapore that is one of the best in the world. So what could be our purpose today as Catholic schools? Our consciously pursued purpose as an institution will determine the kind of ‘Common Space’ we have in a Catholic school.
One important purpose of Catholic education is to provide a Catholic Education for Catholic students. This means that not only is religious education for Catholics well provided for, but that all subjects and the whole school carries a Catholic Ethos. The Church clearly states that Catholic parents have the duty and the right to have their children educated from a Catholic perspective and within an environment of the faith. The duty of the Church in Singapore in this respect is to ensure that parents have that freedom to choose a Catholic School.
Another purpose for Catholic Schools today, is to share the hope and the good news that our Gospel brings. As Catholics are a minority in a Catholic School we find our schools are the best place to live out our conviction that God created all human beings for happiness and fullness of life. We can make real in our schools our belief in the infinite value of every human person of every race or intelligence.
Thirdly, our schools are places of excellence. Places where the promise of ‘fullness of life’ is made possible in small ways. There is no place for mediocrity and even weak, underprivileged students can strive for excellence according to their ability.
Educators present at the ‘Communio’ gathering emphasised that Catholic schools are an ‘inclusive’ space where students and teachers of all faiths are free to express their beliefs and grow in their own faiths. It is not a matter of silencing the voices of various faiths, cultures and languages in ‘Common Space’. In fact, they insisted that it is important to ‘grow the Common Space’. It is grown by each person being more confident of their own identity and their own beliefs so that they can share and exchange with assurance.’
Panel members, Sr Marilyn Lim FdCC, Provincial to the Canossian Daughters of Charity, Msgr Eugene Vaz our Vicar General and member of the ACCS and Ms Wendy Louis Executive Director with the ACCS spoke on their understanding of ‘Common Space’. Msgr Eugene Vaz gave the biblical perspective of God’s universal plan for human beings to be fulfilled, joyful and to live in harmony with God, other human beings and with nature. The Catholic School would be a space to embody that plan of God who is totally inclusive and all-loving.
Sr Marilyn stressed the inclusiveness of their schools even when they are sharing their particular charism, giving the example of how teachers of all faiths participated willingly in their ‘learning journey’ that took them to the home of their founder in Italy.
Wendy Louis spoke of the need for an atmosphere of respectful dialogue. We can only grow our ‘Common Space’ in society today if we are each able to learn the meaning of true dialogue, appreciation of the other and active listening. She explained that the Catholic Bishops of Asia had called for a ‘triple dialogue’ with people of other faiths, with cultures and with the poor. The dialogue with the poor means that we have the poor among us in our schools or we reach out to them and that the perspective of the poor is included in the study of various subjects. The dialogue with cultures means that students from the various backgrounds have many opportunities to express, in depth, the value and meaning of things from their cultural perspectives.
The discussion ended with suggestions and recommendations being made that each person present reflect on what has been said and bring it back to their schools for further reflection and dialogue. There was also a call for a more conscious effort to clarify our specific role in Church and society as Catholic Schools and to translate this into actual structures and programmes. The discussion will be taken up in the next “Communio” gathering slated for Friday 30th July where we will look at our “Common Vision and Mission” as Catholic Schools.
Wendy Louis
www.accs.sg
26 April 2010