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| Our Patron: St. Ignatius of Loyola |
History of Loyola Training Centre – Nadiad
PRE FOUDATIONAL ERA
The Visionary Fr.Emmanuel Herreo and the technocrat Br. Nicholas Hernandez seeing the plight of the helpless Catholics of Kheda, who had no skills or certificates in securing a just wage or a permanent job. Divine providence came to their life in a majestic way, Nadiad Municipality offered KSSS (Kaira Social Service Society) a plot of land near Indiranagar Lake (Talao), with financial help of CEBEMO (Holland) the part allotted to us of the Talao was filled up. The office and mechanical workshop of KSSS was shifted from the campus of St.Mary’s High School to Indiranagar. In this allotted land, Nadiad Municipality gave us permission to build ‘Loyola Training Centre’ ,. The spade work was undertaken by the sweat & brow of Br.Agnelo Vaz, Fr.Cyprian Andrade, Br.Nicholas and dynamic workers Ranjit & Kuberdas and their wives, of course the Panchamahal mamas were faithful and hardworking. This was the beginning of foundational work of LTC. We have to this day fulfilled the wishes of CEMEBO of Holland who offered the full finance with a specific purpose to start a technical training institution, especially to train young persons as mechanics, electricians, mechanics of automobile, plumbers and fitters etc.
The first training was in the open air, under the shade of the umbrella trees. The efficient well qualified, expert Br.Nicholas trained his initial dozen trainees to create masterpieces of working benches, tables and chairs etc. Six to Seven hours of work a day, punctuality was a strong addictive, all were given a just wage with a daily full glass of milk. Students found it very hard, many stuck on, a few dropped out, but the end product was that the successful trainees had confidence, they could do their job with aplomb in any situation, the mention of Loyola Training Centre to the employer was an added asset. Since most of the jobs were in Nadiad, Br.Nicholas had a nelson eye on them in their workplace as well, and enjoyed listening to the applause of the employers about his trainees and also minor complains! Br.Nicholas was consistent, demanding and his Gujarati language was par excellence, so the students understood him very well, but they had to soil their hands to yearn for perfection in the fabrication line. The theories of drawing, reading, and use of measuring instruments were drilled in to the trainees mind. The theory and practice of all the technical mechanism was on par with world standard of excellence! We will miss the bus if the real reason for the starting of LTC was the need of the poor and oppressed people of Kheda Dt. Especially the drop outs.
The primary objective of LTC was to impart technical skills to poor and oppressed people in order that they may attain economic freedom. Initially Bro. Nicolas and Fr.Cyprian conducted their efforts to develop the dream into a non-formal technical training centre where both young men and women were trained for a dignified job.
Courses offered in the hay days of LTC were for school dropouts and for the very poor who cannot afford any education. In the hay days of Cyprian and Nicholas courses of (1) Electric motor rewinding (2) Wireman (3) Fabrication Fitter and (4) Carpentry was in the making. These were for men, for women we had a powerful stalwart Sr.Mary Joseph of Our Lady of Pillar Convent, who ventured earnestly in the early stage in shorthand and typing, jumped into Secretarial wagon of human management, personality development, telephone operation, receptionist, book keeping, latter on computer training and office management were added.
There was also a Balwadi run by SMI sisters for the slum children as an extension programmer. Initially there were 60 children attending the classes. This nursery school did not last for it got aborted!
Initially Br.Nicholas’ initiative was of having a production centre which produces tables, chairs, beds, school benches and other items like wheel barrows and items according to customers needs. The sale proceeds eventually were ploughed back for the maintenance of the trainees and a stipend to them.
FOUNDATIONAL ERA
As the number of trainees started increasing the LTC had a boy’s hostel for LTC students and Our Lady of Pillar Hostel was created for the Secretarial course students exclusive for girls.
Fr.Mathew Kochu came as Director in the year 1990. Mr.Gilbert Nazareth, then the Deputy Collector of Nadiad assisted Mathew in getting LTC affiliated to NCVT (National Council for Vocational Training) in the field of Fitter, Wireman, Welder and AOCP(Attendant Operator Chemical Plant). This is a Central Government certificate. The purchasing and installing of all equipment and furniture for all the workshops in accordance with the specification and requirement of the Technical Educational Department manual was meticulously carried out by Fr. Mathew. He instilled quality control and excellent workmanship in the student with the help of the staff. Seeing the hostel boys in a makeshift accommodation he ventured in a new spacious block for the hostel residence. He also infused latest technology in LTC in the field of computer software and hardware. The computer wizard Fr.John Rose Santiago masterminded the computer lab with efficiency. To keep up the computer lab in top gear Br.Malcolm Rodrigues rendered two years of yeoman service. Fr. Kochu the builder had extended his tentacles to a 1st floor for Secretarial labs and class rooms and also a 2nd floor for Jesuit Residence. Mathew Kochu was a master in all the trades of the institute. Excellence was his forte.
CONSOLIDATING ERA
Fr.Vincent Moonnu took over from Fr.Mathew Kochu in the year 1995. Loyola ITI was in its initial days. The long tenure of Moonnu paid good dividend. He managed to get repeated batches in Fitter, Wiremen and AOCP, initially without grant from govt. and later got them approved for grant also. He made it possible to get two units of the Secretarial course for girls recognized by the Gujarat State Government. In his reign the welder course was shelved as the students’ application was very poor instead he introduced two units of COPA (Computer Operator in Programming Assistant) in place of Welder course. This course also has central Government recognition. He ably consolidated the increase intake of students from 95 to 160 per year. He masterminded the availability of more staff members as some of the staff members were recruited without grant from the government, with his relentless contacts with competent authority in Gandhinagar, thereby acquiring a superintendent ,a supervisor, a senior and junior clerk, mostly non-teaching clerical staff all of them receiving full grant from the government. He also ventured into an annual sport day and a jam packed parents day.
The feather in his cap was the almost cent per cent results in all the courses, the secretarial course had a prolonged record of hundred percent first class students. As we had perennial floods and flood water entering the workshops and class rooms every year, Fr.Vincent raised the flooring of all the workshops to save the machines from being corroded. He saw the plight of the hostel students and with generous help from Alboan Spain, gave them the satisfaction of a second floor.
THE SECRETARIAL COURSE A REAL BOON
The Secretarial course is very well geared to empowering women to a successful job. Since English was an absolute must, all the girls were asked to undergo an advanced six months English brush up. Along with their studies at LTC they also appear for GCC (Gujarat Govt.) exams in shorthand and Typing. By sheer grit and hard work and more than sufficient knowledge in English, the women have learnt the art of Secretarial enterprise and it is paying rich dividend. More that 75% have secured decent jobs, a few women are on the scale of Rs 8000/- to Rs 11000/- A good percentage of girls have ventured into graduate studies in English medium. The over all achievement of this course is on a very high level of proficiency. It would be unwise to leave out the master piece of this course the one and only Sr.Mary Joseph with the assistance of an English teacher and a Computer teacher. The whole course could be safely reduced to the dynamic, fully committed and task master Sr.Mary Joseph’s dedication to the liberation and empowerment of women. Can you beat it, in 19 years of dedicated services the Secretarial course has caked out eighteen religious nuns forget about those who joined and did not continue in the religious life. Besides these we have a pre novice at present for Jesuits who is also a Loyolite.
COMPANIONS AND FELLOW JESUITS
During the reign of various Directors of LTC they had Jesuit companions like: Fr.Hemant Diaz, Fr.Jesuraj Arputam, Fr.Juan Gil, Fr.John Rose, Br.Malcolm Rodrigues, Fr.Sanjay Rodrigues, Fr.Richard Lopes, Fr.Anton D’Souza, Br.Timothy Macwan, Scho.David Roy, Br. Alpesh Chauhan and Fr.Terence Lobo. A few priests and scholastics pitched themselves here for short periods in order to acquire basic skills in computer. These were extraordinary men who lent their support in Jesuit community life.
THE PRESENT ERA
Holding fort is present Director Fr.K.P.Vincent, who stepped in Vincent Moonnu’s shoes in July 2007 and he is the driving force of the Silver Jubilee Year celebration. In preparation of the jubilee year the ever enthusiastic Fr.K.P.Vincent organized a one day fantastic old student CONVENTION so as to ascertain their desire to start an ex-student association which would eventually work out their plan and plan their work for the future. The meeting was attended by 210 ex L.T.C. students. We have collected relevant data from 145 ex students using a format to enable us to furnish you with their assessment of L.T.C. all these years.
GLORIOUS ASSESSMENTS OF EX STUDENTS
From the survey of the 145 written accounts of those who attended the Convention on 24th February 2008, the highlights were
· 65% secured a satisfactory job
· 21% did business of their own
· All had nostalgic memories of their stay especially the discipline, teaching staff and the extra curricular activities such as annual sports and annual day
· They would venture on an association of ex students so as to create a fund for deserving and poor students.
WE COULD SAFELY CONCLUDE THAT THE L.T.C. ENDEAVOUR OF THE FOUNDING JESUIT FATHERS AND CONTINUED BY THE VARIOUS DIRECTORS IS IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION ‘All for the Greater Glory of God.’
(Compiled by Frs.K.P.Vincent and Terence Lobo)
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