Major Archbishop places character above academic success

KOCHI, Kerala (Indian Catholic News) — The head of the Syro Malabar Church has urged students to grow into responsible and compassionate citizens, saying education should form character as much as it fosters academic achievement.

In a June 11 message published in Syro Malabar Vision, the publication of the Syro-Malabar Major Archepiscopal Curia, Major Archbishop Raphael Thattil of Ernakulam-Angamaly urged students, teachers and parents to view education as a process of forming responsible and virtuous citizens.

“We should welcome this academic year with the conviction that ‘the greatest gift we can give a child is to teach him how to think,’” the archbishop said.

He stressed that education goes beyond examination results and information gathering. “Education is not merely about learning letters or securing high marks; rather, it is a profound process of character formation and of shaping a generation rooted in goodness,” he said.

According to Archbishop Thattil, schools should help create “a society marked by virtue, compassion, and justice” through value-based education that teaches children to respect others, care for nature and serve fellow human beings.

“Goodness in life is more important than ranks in examinations,” he said, adding that young people should grow in “awareness and reverence for God.”

Forming responsible citizens

The major archbishop said schools play a critical role in preparing students for life in society and not merely for academic achievement.

“Along with academic excellence, it is equally essential to cultivate a strong sense of civic responsibility in today’s children,” he said.

Archbishop Thattil urged schools and families to teach children to protect public property, obey laws, maintain cleanliness and respect the rights of others.

“The future of our nation is being shaped in today’s classrooms,” he said. “Teachers and parents must pay special attention to forming children into selfless and socially committed citizens.”

He also highlighted the historical contribution of the Catholic Church to education in the southern Indian state of Kerala, particularly through the “Pallikkoodam” or parish school movement.

The Church, he said, brought education to people “irrespective of caste, religion, or social status,” while pioneers such as Saint Kuriakose Elias Chavara helped open learning opportunities to communities previously excluded from formal education.

Christian values at the heart of education

Archbishop Thattil said educational institutions should continue that legacy by focusing on moral formation alongside academic excellence.

Quoting Aristotle, he noted that “Educating the mind without educating the heart is no education at all,” and said schools “must give priority to nurturing the goodness of the human heart.”

He emphasized that successful education depends on cooperation among students, teachers, parents and school management, with parents serving as children’s first educators and teachers guiding them with “parental care and affection.”

“Love, peace, patience, and a spirit of service are the Christian values that form the foundation of our educational institutions,” Archbishop Thattil said.

Taking “Jesus Christ, the Divine Teacher” as a model, schools should become “shelters of love and compassion rather than mere coaching centres,” he added.

Archbishop Thattil concluded by praying that the new academic year would be “a season of knowledge, growth, and divine blessings” for students, teachers and schools.