The Annual Meeting of the Province Secretaries for School Education (PSSEs) of the Jesuit Conference of South Asia was held at Vinayalaya, Mumbai, from 5 to 7 October 2026, under the theme “Responding to the 21st Century Challenges.” The meeting brought together Jesuit educational leaders to reflect on emerging challenges, share best practices and discern common priorities for strengthening the Jesuit educational mission.
Through prayer, presentations, institutional visits and collaborative discussions, participants explored key areas shaping contemporary education. The sessions focused on the Ten Global Identifiers of Jesuit Education, ecological responsibility and the SEAL initiative (Spirituality and Education Awareness and Lifestyle), formation of mission partners, and the opportunities and ethical challenges of artificial intelligence in education. The discussions highlighted the importance of inclusive and safe learning environments, ecological conversion, shared leadership, responsible use of AI and greater collaboration across the global Jesuit educational network. Participants also presented and discussed their respective province priorities.
A significant outcome of the meeting was the identification of seven common priorities for Jesuit school education across South Asia:
- Ecological Conversion and Care for Our Common Home – integrating ecological responsibility into school policies, culture and everyday practices.
- Formation of Our Mission Partners – equipping Jesuits and lay collaborators for shared mission and leadership.
- Responsible and Human-Centred Integration of Artificial Intelligence – promoting the ethical, critical and purposeful use of AI in teaching and learning.
- Strengthening Networking, Collaboration and Shared Mission – fostering partnerships and sharing resources and best practices.
- Academic Excellence with Equity and Opportunity – ensuring quality education and equal opportunities, along with systematic preparation for competitive examinations.
- Forming Women and Men of Excellence, Creativity and Critical Consciousness – nurturing capable, discerning and socially responsible young people.
- Student Accompaniment Programme – Cura Personalis – promoting personalised care and accompaniment of students, attending to their holistic development.
Together, these priorities reaffirm the Ignatian vision of forming persons of competence, conscience, compassion, commitment, creativity and collaboration. The meeting concluded with a shared commitment to translate reflection into concrete action, move from isolated initiatives towards a collaborative mission, and ensure that Jesuit educational values are meaningfully lived out in school communities.
The participants expressed their sincere gratitude to the Bombay Province for its warm hospitality, to the resource persons for their valuable contributions, and to all the Province Secretaries for their active participation and enriching exchanges.
Reported by John Kennedy, CSSE
