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DIMAPUR, July 11:
Salesian Faculty Workshop Charts Participatory Roadmap for Higher Education in South Asia
News reported by: Fr. Blasius Tete sdb, IND
The Don Bosco Higher Education South Asia Faculty Workshop 2026 concluded on Saturday at the Don Bosco Provincial House, Dimapur, with a renewed commitment to participatory leadership, educational innovation, and institutional transformation across Salesian higher education institutions in South Asia.
Held from July 9 to 11, the three-day workshop brought together faculty members, administrators, and institutional leaders from six Salesian higher education institutions to reflect on the theme, "Participatory Models of Higher Education." The programme focused on innovation, participatory governance, Artificial Intelligence (AI), student welfare, and strategies for institutional renewal.
The workshop was organised by the Higher Education Commission of the Salesian Province of St. Francis de Sales, Dimapur, in collaboration with Don Bosco Higher Education South Asia and the Salesian Institute of Higher Education (IUS), Rome, as part of ongoing efforts to strengthen Salesian higher education through dialogue, collaboration, and shared responsibility.
Addressing the participants, Dr Fr. Maria Antony Raj, Secretary of Don Bosco Higher Education India (DBHEI), highlighted the need for a new model of educational governance rooted in participation and communion. He described the workshop as an experiential initiative designed to strengthen participatory leadership, deepen Salesian identity, and promote synodal collaboration among institutions.
He noted that the programme, initially developed for Salesian Higher Education in South Asia, has the potential to serve as a global model for Salesian institutions in other regions.
Presiding over the inaugural session, Fr. Joseph Pampackal SDB, Provincial of the Dimapur Province, said higher education is at a critical juncture shaped by rapid technological advancement, evolving labour markets, changing student expectations, and the implementation of India's National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. He urged educators to embrace learner-centred, multidisciplinary, and technology-enabled approaches while safeguarding the human values that define the Salesian educational tradition.
Centred on the theme, "Issues and Opportunities for Change in Higher Education," participants examined the implications of Artificial Intelligence in teaching and learning, discussed emerging challenges in student welfare, and engaged in Open Space Technology sessions that encouraged collaborative problem-solving and participatory dialogue.
The final day adopted the theme, "Facing the Challenges to DREAM Like the DREAMER," inviting participants to collaborate, participate, and transform. Through Technology of Participation, Vision, Challenges, and Strategic Actions workshops, faculty members assessed institutional realities, envisioned future possibilities, and developed practical action plans to strengthen academic excellence and foster sustainable institutional renewal across Salesian higher education institutions in South Asia.
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Publisher: Libreria Editrice Vaticana
Year of publication: 2026
Available from: 4 March 2026
Pages: 928 pp., Paperback
