by Sumon Corraya

Holy Cross priests open their fifth facility in Bangladesh. The school already has 750 students, from the social groups most in need. The goal is to teach them "how to lead life."

Mymensingh (AsiaNews) - The philosophy that inspires Notre Dame College, a school run by Holy Cross missionaries in Bangladesh, is to provides an all-round education to tribal youth and those most in need, to enable them to learn not only how to earn money, but also how to lead life.

On 7 August, the priests opened their newest facility in the Diocese of Mymensingh, which joins the other four already run by the religious order.

Fr Bakul S. Rozario CSC is the dean of the college, which has 750 students, 18 teachers and 9 support staff. For several years, he served as deputy dean of Notre Dame College in Dhaka.

"We want to offer our students the best possible education, teaching them the importance of morality and punctuality," the clergyman told AsiaNews. "The first courses will cover the arts, sciences and economics."

The decision to open a new school, he explains, "came in 2008 when the bishop of Mymensingh asked us to take care of the education of local youth."

According to Mgr Ponen Paul Kubi, students at Notre Dame College Mymensingh will be "different people. They will not only learn to receive but also to give."

In Bangladesh, Holy Cross missionaries are known and appreciated for their educational apostolate.

The first Notre Dame college was established in Dhaka in 1949 and today is considered one of the best in the country.

• bangladesh
• education
• catholic
• church
• holy
• cross
• missionaries