Inquire how many students in Christian schools have converted to Christianity in 100 yrs: Archbishop
Bengaluru, Apr 28: Archbishop Peter Machado on Thursday asked the Karnataka government to inquire into the number of students, who studied at Christian schools and have converted to Christianity in the last 100 years, as he defended the institution, which allegedly insisted on carrying or studying Bible as part of the curriculum.
He said the institution conducted Bible or religious classes for Christian students before or after the school hours, and such a practice that required them to carry Bible existed in the past, but not now.
Clarence High School, which has been served a notice by the Department of Primary and Secondary Education said it has sought the opinion of legal advisors to respond to it.
"...there is nothing like the Bible or religious education. We impart the same education to everyone. We cannot differentiate between spirituality and morality ," Machado told reporters here.
Noting that 75 per cent students studying in the Clarence school are Christians, he said, "it was prescribed that Bible be brought because, in our Christian institutions we have religion class for Christian students either before or after the class..."
"However, from last year onwards the management has seen to it that no mention is made about the Bible at all and so the Children if they want they can bring," he added.
Referring to the education department order to conduct an inquiry to ascertain whether the Bible was used and religion was taught in schools, the Bishop said, "it is not concerning only this school, but all Christian schools in Karnataka. To take it from one school and paint all schools in the same colour is not right."
"If the government wants to probe, surely conduct an inquiry in this school, and one of the questions they should put forth is how many students have converted in the last hundred years, how many of them have become Christians," he added.
There are also allegations that the school asked parents to give an undertaking that they have no objection to the study of the Bible by their children.
Some parents have objected to it, following which the Hindu Janajagruti Samiti complained to Minister for Primary and Secondary Education, B C Nagesh, seeking an investigation.
Principal of the School, Jerry George Mathew said the allegations made of a conduct other than subscribing to the discipline and culture of the school voluntarily, is only an "unfortunate misinterpretation".
The school is conscious of its responsibility, and declaration that is sought at the time of admission is only as per law, he said, adding that "we have also sought the considered opinion of our legal advisors in order to respond to the legitimately issued show cause notice by the Block Education Officer."
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Air India Express cancels 74 flights due to cabin crew shortage; to operate 292 flights
Mumbai (PTI): Faced with cabin crew shortage, Air India Express on Thursday cancelled 74 flights and said Air India will operate services on 20 of its routes to minimise disruptions.
A section of cabin crew has reported sick to protest against alleged mismanagement at the airline, which has resulted in the cancellation of more than 90 flights since Tuesday night.
"We will be operating 292 flights today. We have mobilised all resources and Air India will support us by operating on 20 of our routes. However, 74 of our flights stand cancelled and we urge our guests booked to fly with us to check if their flight is affected by the disruption before heading to the airport," the airline said in a statement.
In case their flight is cancelled or delayed beyond three hours, the carrier said the passengers may opt for a full refund or reschedule to a later date without any fees.
The number of cancelled flights at 74 translates to around 20 per cent of the airline's scheduled daily flights.
Earlier in the day, sources said the airline has issued termination notices to 25 cabin crew members who had reported sick and asked others to join back for duty by 4 pm on Thursday.
Against this backdrop, Air India Express said it is taking appropriate steps against certain individuals.
"While we will continue to engage with our cabin crew colleagues with a commitment to address any concern, we are taking appropriate steps against certain individuals as their actions have caused grave inconvenience to thousands of our guests," it added.
