Mangalore : SMKC Dubai promotes higher education through financial support

By Fr Francis Rodrigues, Raknno
Bellevision Media Network

Mangalore, 10 July 2013 : St Mary’s Konkan Community (SMKC) Dubai added another Rs 5 lacks to the   SMKC Education Trust Fund that was established in the Diocese of Mangalore towards the promotion of higher education of poor students of Christian community.  The cheque amount of Rs 5 lacks was handed over to Most Rev. Dr Aloysius Paul D’Souza the Bishop of Mangalore on July 8th 2013 at the Bishop’s House in Mangalore by Noel Mascarenhas, the Founder President and Joe Fernandes, the Founder Advisor of SMKC. 

 

“One of the key objectives of the St Joseph’s Engineering College (SJEC) established by the diocese of Mangalore is to help the bright students from poor families. While the richer folk of the society can afford to pay and pursue higher studies, the poor families from rural places are unable to send their children for professional courses because of the expensive nature of these courses. In the initial years SMKS came forward to help some of these poor families to pursue engineering studies by supporting them financially.  Because of their help we could give scholarships to some poor students for their engineering studies. They have not only helped Christian students but have also helped students from other communities” said Most Rev. Dr Aloysius Paul D’Souza the Bishop of Mangalore on the occasion.

 

 

 

 

“It is very consoling to know that because of the help given by SMKC nearly 20 students have completed the engineering studies and have gone into earning jobs and professions.  I appreciate the generosity and goodwill of the founder president Noel Mascarenhas and Jenifer Mascarenhas who had taken initiative for such a help. I appreciate all the supporters and donors who have helped the poor through the SMKC and pray  the Almighty Lord to bless them generously” added Most Rev. Dr Aloysius Paul D’Souza.

 

SMKC Education Trust Fund was established in 2004 at Bishop’s House Mangalore and has been managed well to cater to many poor families of the coastal region with regard to professional studies. 

 

According to Noel Mascarenhas, the Founder President of SMKC “so far Rs 1.43 crores has been donated by SMKC for educational and other deserving causes and persons during the span of a decade. So far Rs 37 lacks have been helped for engineering studies, Rs 5.90 lacks have been helped for nursing studies, Rs 2.5 lacks have been helped for MBBS studies, Rs 1.5 lacks have been helped for MBA studies, Rs 1 lack have been helped for Technical and teacher trainings.”

 

According to SMKC officials as of now 18 engineering students, 38 B.Sc nursing students, 2 MBBS students, one MBA student, 5 ITI-Civil Diploma-Polytechnics students, and 3 B.Ed students have completed the respective courses through the financial support of SMKC.  Rs. 2 Lacks was  granted to each Engineering/MBBS student to complete their 4  -5 year course, while Rs one lack is given to a MBA student and Rs 20 thousand is given to each UG/Technical student. All these students have signed a promissory note to give back some amount to the Education Trust Fund to help other deserving students and so far Rs 9 lacks have been returned by the beneficiary students who have been settled well in jobs. At the moment the SMKC is financially supporting 4 engineering and one MBBS students from economically week families.

 

According to Joe Fernandes the founder adviser “The SMKC is the first association which started to promote higher education and professional courses with a special focus to the economically week students. The SMKC not only used the interest of the fund collected but also the corpus itself is being used for the promotion of higher education amidst the poorer class”

 

“We are especially thankful to the generous members, benefactors, and donors who have joined hands with us with lot of confidence in our association, present president of SMKC Veronica Rego, Vice-President Paul Culaso and others who have helped us to promote good causes through SMKC. This year SMKC Dubai was able to generate funds for Education Trust  Fund through SMKC ‘SURF AND CARE’ campaign. Our sponsors have been very understating and supportive for this novel idea. We have also helped number deserving cases of medical support in their difficulty of major and expensive sicknesses. The SMKC has also helped infrastructural, linguistic, cultural and social causes. We have invited number of star Konkanni artists to the gulf and appreciated and enjoyed their music and cultural performances” said Noel Mascarenhas.

 

“We desire and request the Christian community that we need to focus on the Indian administrative services like IAS, IPS and through such services we need to become the mouth pieces of minorities in the national and state administration. Our voices needs to be heard into the government offices” opined Noel Mascarenhas on the occasion.

 

Fr Peter Cyprian D’Souza the founder spiritual adviser of SMKC, Fr John Vas the Procurator of the diocese of Mangalore and others were present on the occasion.