Around 50 members of the Akhil Bharati Vidyarthi Parishad, the student wing of India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, entered the premises of St. Peter Higher Secondary School in the Diocese of Jhabua in Madhya Pradesh this past July — and placed portraits of Hindu goddesses.

The ABVP members targeted the statues of St. Peter and Mary, demanding that they be replaced with portraits of the Hindu goddess Saraswati, who is regarded as the patron of knowledge, and Bharat Mata, which represents Mother India, on the school premises.

However, this was not the first such attack. In February, a poster telling Christian schools to remove Jesus and Mary appeared in the northeast state of Assam. Father Mathew Anchukandam, the archdiocesan vicar-general, mentioned that similar posters were discovered that month, prompting Christian schools to seek police protection and file complaints with the state government.

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Dr. Michael Williams, secretary for the Forum of Minority Schools, said people who commit such crimes think that they will get national attention. However, they have neglected to remember the important role played by the Christian schools in educating Indian youth.

The enduring presence and contribution of Christian schools — built by Catholics and other denominations — across India highlight their pivotal role in shaping the nation’s educational landscape. Despite facing challenges and opposition, these institutions continue to provide quality education to students from diverse backgrounds.

History of Christian schools in India

Anjali Dsouza, assistant professor and head of the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at St. Aloysius College in Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, explained that when the first Christian missionary was established in India in the early 19th century, their main mission was to educate the population.

“The first Christian institution of higher learning in India, CMS College, was founded in 1818 in Kottayam, Kerala. This was followed by the establishment of a university modeled after European universities in 1819 at Serampore near Calcutta. It's important to note that in the 19th century, English higher education developed gradually through the combined efforts of the British government, Christian missions and local private initiatives,” she told Religion Unplugged.

She further added that the Catholic Church also ventured into higher education by establishing St. Joseph's College in Tiruchirappalli in 1844.

Commenting on the role of Christian institutions in strengthening female education, Elena Philip, assistant professor and head of the Department of Economics at St. Aloysius College, said that the first women’s college, Isabella Thoburn College, was established in Uttar Pradesh as early as 1886. This was followed by the founding of another college exclusively for women, Sarah Tucker College, in Tamil Nadu in 1895.

The scale of Christian schools

Historically, these Catholic schools have maintained their presence in India and helped in imparting knowledge. These days, the role played by Christian schools in character building among Indian students remains significant. Williams said that currently in India, there are around 55,000 schools that are involved in educating more than 25 million students of all faiths and backgrounds.

“Close to 11 prime ministers of India have received education from a Christian school,” he said. “Also, while the education keeps getting expensive in India, the fees in Christian schools continue to be moderate, ensuring that no one is left out of formal education just because of lack of funds.”

According to a report by Education for All in India, it was found that the increasing cost of education is creating a greater divide between the rich and the poor. Children from affluent families are more likely to have access to quality education, whereas those from low-income families are more likely to be disadvantaged.

Judith Anne Beale, who serves as principal of St. Anthony's Higher Secondary School in Jharkhand, added that close to 5% of students in every Christian school — whether aided or unaided — receive some type of financial assistance. She said that government-aided schools also implement scholarships for female students.

She said that keeping in mind the rising cost of education, it does become difficult to impart quality education at a low cost. However, she explained that despite the challenges, there is no compromise with moral and ethical education — what is called “sanskar” in Hindi.

“Without sanskar no human being is complete, however highly educated he/she might be,” she added. “Therefore it is taught to the students right from the time they start schooling in the nursery class. There is no compromise with this particular part of education.”

Challenges ahead

Williams said that while Christian schools continue to impart education in India, the attacks on the community are also on the rise. According to a report by the United Christian Forum for Human Rights, an Indian ecumenical organization that monitors persecution, there have been 161 reported incidents of anti-Christian discrimination and persecution in India during the first 75 days of this year.

These incidents include attacks on Christian schools where the main accusation is that these schools are involved in converting students. But Williams said that all these claims are baseless.

“The fact that a lot of right-wing organizations who are saying that Christian schools are en masse converting, they must be able to understand the fact that there are no numbers. There is no such crazy surge in population to back up any of those claims,” he said.

Williams further asked, even if these claims were true, why are the majority of Indian political leadership and business leadership — including their children — studying in Christian schools?

“Even Article 25 guarantees every individual the right to practice, profess, and propagate their own religion,” he added. “So obviously, I’m sure Christian schools have the right to teach about their culture and their faith with whatever religious practices they have.”

Rishabh Jain is an independent journalist based in Delhi. Follow him at @ThisIsRjain.