The Champagnat School of Antananarivo and the coronavirus crisis

For our school, June 6th, the feast of Saint Marcellin Champagnat, is a day that allows the large Marist family, the students and their parents as well as the educators, to gather and celebrate the memory of our Founder. The feast begins with a Solemn Mass, bringing together all the students from the school to the parish, followed by two or three days of open-air performances by the students, educators and even parents in the courtyard of the establishment and also a fair.

Also this event is  an opportunity to raise funds for the school, to finance various projects such as the purchase of new books or the acquisition of certain teaching materials.

The coronavirus crisis

The school feast is usually a ceremony marking the end of the school year which begins in September and ends in June. But the calendar was only halfway through the second term when classes were stopped because of the coronavirus crisis. This year, in this particular context, it is impossible to organize the festive days as in previous years.

For the time being, only students in examination classes are allowed to attend classes in the morning. Those in the intermediate classes stay at home. Due to lack of means and resources, their parents come to the school to collect notes of lessons and handouts. According to the school calendar, the end of the school year is approaching and everyone is wondering about the continuation of containment measures… Private schools are hard hit by this covid-19 crisis. The uncertainty and the many challenges caused by this pandemic will only aggravate the problems in relation to the education of children and young people across the country.

Marist Youth

Along with the Marist school, there are two other Catholic schools in the parish but these are far from being sufficient to accommodate all the applications. There are even those among the  2,200 students of Champagnat school who come from far away. For some, it takes more than an hour on foot to get to the school and the same for them to return home. Most come to school by bus.

The majority of the children are from Christian families and many of the students are Marist Youth of Madagascar (JMM). They are proud to be living the Marist spirit of Champagnat: periodic meetings, sharing of the Word, animation of the liturgy, commitment to the poorest in different areas of the capital, teaching catechesis in the parish are examples of activities in which they are actively involved.

Champagnat School

Champagnat School was founded in 1959 and is located in the heart of the city of Antananarivo in the popular district of Anatihazo Isotry. Despite all the challenges, parents continue to send their children to school because they believe in the value of educating their children.

Since the foundation of the school, the Brothers have been collaborating with the authorities of St. Joseph’s Parish of Anatihazo. They are actively involved in the parish committee, teaching catechesis and religion in the school and in the parish. As in all the Marist schools in the country, the Brothers are primarily responsible for the management and administration of the school and give classes to the students of the different stages. The school opened the second stage in 2015 with the second year classes. The result of the baccalaureate for the first group last year was satisfactory.

Help for education

As in all private schools in Madagascar, school fees are entirely paid by parents. The State does not grant any subsidies to private schools. In order to pay teachers, the school has to collect school fees from the students. Every year, the school has to make ends meet in order to be able to respond to needs such as rehabilitation and repair work, purchase of teaching materials as well as many educational activities. Although education is costly for families, they are increasingly concerned about the future and education of their children.

NGOs and Foundations, in collaboration with the school, pay school fees for groups of children. It is always thanks to the school’s partnerships with NGOs working in the social or educational field that it manages to offer lunch to a few poor students attending the school. All the extension work to have more classrooms is the result of external help, which supports the educational works given to the children, under the administration of the Brothers.

_______________

Fr Ramarosandratana Camille