Introduction: The world summit on Catholic education took place in Fordham University, New York, U.S.A. and was attended by more than five hundred Catholic school leaders drawn from over eighty countries around the world. The opening mass took place in St. Patrick’s cathedral New York on 5^th June 2019 and was presided over Bishop Christophe Pierre, Apostolic Nuncio to the USA. The theme of the 2019 congress was “Educating to Fraternal Humanism to Build a Civilization of Love.” The Congress took place within the framework of Agenda 2030 and SDG4 (UN’s Sustainable Development Goal of quality education for all) and the vision articulated by Pope Francis in Laudato Si to develop a new paradigm of Catholic education that is inclusive, open to dialogue, aware of climate change, and committed to integral human development as a source of hope for the world today. According to Philippe Richard, the Secretary General of International Office for Catholic Education’s (OIEC), the congress was a unique opportunity to discuss challenges and opportunities faced by Catholic schools.

The following are the OIEC’s proposals to Catholic schools of the world for the coming years.

1. For a new format of education, adapted to change, and grounded in a culture of dialogue

The contemporary realities of the world force educators to constantly adapt and formulate innovative educational proposals. Among the realities that Catholic schools are committed to consider, we can note

– the need for a culture of dialogue between students from different religions;

– a solidary education in relation to the situations of extreme poverty;

– a Sustainable Development education;

– a peace and human rights education.

These innovations should help every student and every member of the educational community to become an actor of change.

2. For a Christian identity of the school, based in an evangelical root

The Catholic school is a school participating in the public service of education in each country. Its purpose is not to earn money, but to render the service of education for all, in the tradition of the great Christian educators who founded congregations engaged in the service of education. Because it is Catholic, it is a body of hope, founded by its attachment to living and witnessing the Gospel, and in connection with the local Church. Therefore, it must demonstrate this hope and commit to educating each student about the meaning of his life and transcendence. Beyond this, it is a question of recognizing the necessity and the pursuit of the spiritual development of adults.

3. For an inclusive school, open to all and especially to the outskirts

The Catholic schools, strongly inspired by the message of the Gospel, have the vocation to offer the educational service for all, and especially for the poorest. They commit themselves to develop a particular attention to every person, and to go to meet, sometimes against the flow, those who come from the most vulnerable groups. They are also committed to practising inclusion and developing, adapting their own educational structures to the needs of the most forgotten young people living in their periphery. Inclusive education is fundamentally about the Catholic school’s mission to provide a quality, comprehensive educational service and equal opportunities for all children and young people around the world. Families must also be reached through educational itineraries that accompany parents from preschool to secondary education.

4. For a training of leaders and teachers adapted to contemporary educational realities

Throughout the world, Catholic schools must seek a commitment to teachers and leaders training, which takes into account education in contemporary reality, and produces control strategies against

school failure, early deschooling, school dropout, teenagers’ desocialization, illiteracy and violence in schools.

Training centers and Catholic Universities must work tirelessly to train leaders so that they are better educated and above all better equipped to face this educational responsibility. It is proposed that the sharing of experiences between training institutes and universities and teachers from different countries be strengthened, and that the professionalization of teachers and leaders of Catholic schools be promoted.

5. For a quality education, inspired by the Gospel and oriented towards the safeguarding of the Common House (Laudato Si).

The world, our world, the Common House, is in danger, threatened by serious climatic and ecological dysfunctions produced by an economic development based on hyperbolic growth and little respect for nature and by associated human activities. Pope Francis, in his encyclical Laudato Si invites us to become aware of this reality and to act responsibly for the safeguarding of the common house. Catholic schools must make a firm commitment to support the commitments of the international community by developing within each school, large or small, structuring educational projects for quality education (SDG4) and, above all, an awareness of each student that he can become an actor in the safeguarding of the common house. The development of the programs I can, or Planet OIEC within the OIEC corresponds to the beginning of the answer. They make it possible to better develop an “ethos” of Catholic education, through all disciplinary knowledge, in order to build a transdisciplinary ethic. The OIEC could also commit to a “green tree” program for all the countries of the world.

6. For a positive and constructive presence in international organizations

The right to education is a human right (article 26 of the Universal Declaration of human rights). Catholic schools are represented, through the OIEC, within the United Nations system: ECOSOC (Economic and Social Council) (Geneva and New York) and UNESCO (Paris). They are also represented in the Council of Europe. Within these bodies, OIEC representatives act in connection with the OIDEL, to support the freedom of education on the one hand, and to defend, together with other NGOs, the right to education, on the other hand. Today, the international community is committed to a 2030 Education program, supported by the OIEC. It is therefore up to the Catholic schools of the world to become better acquainted with this program and to contribute more to the debate on the formulation of indicators of quality education on the one hand (SDG4), and educational policies of the States on the other. The OIEC is committed to do everything in their power to assist the Rome Forum in this work of structuring the representation of Catholic organizations in international organizations.

7. For the design of tools and resources adapted to the objective of preservation of the Common House inspired by Laudato Si

Education is not just a matter of principle. It is also based on the production of methods, tools, and edition, serving the innovative goals of education. Catholic schools, given their prophetic responsibility regarding education for the preservation of the Common House, must contribute to the experimentation and the spreading of new teaching methods. They can do this with the help of universities, congregations, educational research centers, textbooks or software publishers.

8. For a work in network, formal education around child protection.

Catholic education must be thought beyond school. As requested by Pope Francis, it must join the young people in their environment. Indeed, more than 265 million children are currently out of school and 22% of them (60 million students) are of primary school age. They come from the most vulnerable groups and remain excluded every year from the school system. While it is unfortunately not possible to imagine being able to offer an immediate solution to all these children, it is nevertheless essential to support the efforts of the organizations and congregations that engage on the ground for children’s protection. When children are in great danger (unaccompanied minors, child soldiers, refugees, child labor, slavery, prostitution, etc.), the Catholic school must remain preoccupied and mobilized to propose solutions. It connects more with organizations and congregations working in the non-formal education sphere. Catholic schools are therefore called upon to work in processes of inclusion beyond school, in a context of mobility and high exclusion in non-formal extracurricular projects. It is essential to integrate the formal and the non-formal. To connect the formal and the non-formal, it is necessary to work in network and change our vision in our proposals for social action for the centers in order to make our schools more inclusive. Each school can generate local, national and international projects in which formal and non-formal education are linked, in order to widen the vision of an education to the service of the social transformation of our students, our teachers and therefore our families.

Beyond that, it is a question of fostering a culture of encounter and dialogue, but also of conversion, through travel, technology, mutual understanding and attention to the experience of poverty. Students and their families should continue to be sensitized to human rights violations around the world in an age-appropriate way so that they can understand how their actions can contribute to a better world.

 Achieving the Summit Objectives in Nigeria

The foregoing are general guidelines for Catholic schools all over the world. Nigerian Catholic educators will work with all stakeholders to achieve the set objectives through the following steps:

1. Working closely to guarantee the protection of children and vulnerable adults in Catholic schools in Nigeria. A CBCN policy for the protection of children from all forms of abuse has already been approved and is to be implemented in all Nigerian Catholic schools.

2. Encouraging the establishment of teacher training institutes in Catholic institutes of higher learning.
3. Looking for ways to grant the poor and the marginalized access to quality education in Catholic schools and universities.
4. Adoption of the Design For Change (DFC) as a co-curricular activity in Catholic schools. The DFC initiative has been introduced to the Education Committee of the CBCN. We shall work to see how the programme can be initiated and sustained in Catholic schools all over Nigeria. Design for Change is an approach to education which aims at empowering students to say “I CAN” and inspire others by telling their own stories of change. It is a type of design-thinking, a solution-based and user-centered approach to tackling problems which allows students to become active learners who guide their own education. The curriculum is designed to be plugged into existing school calendars and enhance academic learning. Some of the highlights of this system of education are as follows:

• Getting children to be the initiators, the participants and the drivers of change
• Getting children to care about compassion
• Helping children develop confidence in themselves; it is thus called “Project I CAN.”
• Its model of education is: Feel, Imagine, Do, Share (FIDS). This model can be explained as follows:

1. Feel: Students identify problems in their classrooms, schools, and communities. Students observe problems and try to engage with those who are affected, discuss their thoughts in groups, and vote on an idea.
2. Imagine: Students envision and develop creative solutions that can be replicated easily, reach the maximum number of people, generate long-lasting change, and make a quick impact.

1. Do: Students develop a plan of action to effect change. This includes planning, implementing, and later recording the process.
2. Share: Students submit their stories to DFC through text, photos, video, or slideshows and are encouraged to do so with other schools in the community and local media, as well.

5. Engaging seriously in environmental education: In the spirit of Laudato Si, we have to work out how to promote environmental education. The world is our “common house” and we have to educate our children to treat every creature – people, animals, plants etc. – with respect. This also involves reducing wastage and encouraging recycling in our schools and homes, desisting from unnecessary felling of trees and from actions that result in the degradation of the environment. Planting of trees and flowers should also be encouraged as well as appreciating the beauty of nature.

6. Catholic schools in Nigeria are already connected to a number of international organizations through our membership o OIEC. This relationship will continue to be strengthened for the benefit of our country Nigeria.

7. Efforts must intensify towards maintaining the Catholic identity of the schools in all aspects of their operations.

Conclusion: The summit was a very useful one and it is hoped that the education unit of the CSN, working closely with diocesan Education Directors, the education secretaries of various religious institutes and other stakeholders in Catholic education, will achieve its aims and objectives through seminars, workshops and conferences.

 Report by Rev. Fr. Augustine Okochi
Education Secretary
Catholic Secretariat of Nigeria.