Salesian Father Miguel Bonuccelli Institute of Higher Studies in Rio Grande graduates first music teachers

(MissionNewswire) The Salesian Father Miguel Bonuccelli Institute of Higher Studies, based in Río Grande, Argentina, has graduated 32 new teachers who have taken courses in initial education, primary education and music education. The music program was first launched in 2017, and these are the first graduates of the program.

During the graduation ceremony, the new teachers each lit a candle to represent their dedication and responsibility to the teaching profession. Father Claudia Simón, rector of the institute, said, “We have dreamed of this program for many years, but now we have the first graduates of the training course for music teachers. As Don Bosco said ‘A Salesian house without music is like a body without a soul.’”

Fr. Simón highlighted the lessons learned by the graduates during their time at the institute. He said, “For many of you, last year, internships seemed impossible, dreams vanished. But, together, we learned not to let any obstacle put us down, and moved by hope, we tried to find a solution.  We met managers and teachers who opened the virtual doors of their classrooms and schools and their hearts, and we understood that it was possible to practice teaching through the digital medium.”

In closing his remarks, Fr. Simón added, “As a community, we are pleased because the objectives set have largely been achieved, and the result is you the new teachers who leave this Salesian house today with the certainty that it will always be your home. Educators who take on the responsibility and commitment to exercise their ministry and their profession on the basis of an ethics anchored to human and evangelical values, eager to listen, respecting the reality of every boy and girl.”

Salesian Father Miguel Bonuccelli Institute of Higher Studies has issued certifications valid at the national level since 1979. After 42 years of work, it continues to train professionals committed to inclusive education.

More than a quarter of the people in Argentina live in conditions of poverty with no formal employment and poor-quality education, according to the World Bank. The country’s high school dropout rate is close to 37 percent and youth account for a third of those unemployed. Almost 12 percent of children ages 5-17 are working instead of being in school and 20 percent need government assistance. Many face malnutrition, a lack of clean water and sewage, and inadequate housing.

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Sources:

ANS Photo (usage permissions and guidelines must be requested from ANS)

ANS – Argentina – First Music Teachers graduate from “Fr Miguel Bonuccelli Institute”

Salesian Missions – Argentina

World Bank – Argentina