(ANS – Punta Arenas) – The Don Bosco Institute in Punta Arenas has had its quality certificate for school management  renewed. The certification, provided every two years also referred to the quality of the solidarity among the young students, demonstrated recently as they made themselves available  following the flooding of the Las Minas river.

The ceremony held on 15 March in the “Lucchelli” Hall of the Salesian Institute was attended by the Executive Secretary of the Chile Foundation, Sergio Garay, by the Directors of the Salesian schools in Punta Arenas and Puerto Natales; by representatives of the  authorities of the Ministerial Secretariat for Education and representatives of the local educative community. The new Provincial Fr Alberto Lorenzelli, who in these days is visiting the Salesian communities in the Magellane region was also present.

Sergio Garay said that the Foundation assessment committee had unanimously agreed to renew the certificate of the Don Bosco Institute because of the high quality of its management and emphasised the commitment of the Salesians to other similar institutes. “Chile needs  high quality education and for this reason the Salesians wanted to submit themselves to the evaluation  of an outside body and to reach the international standard to improve its own educational management.”

In a symbolic gesture the certificate was presented to the President of the Past Pupils’ Centre, Oscar Gallo and the Director of the Institute Fr Sergio Astorga. The latter pointed out that the ceremony was taking place close to three particular events: the public recognition by the Foundation of the efforts made by everyone to improve the educational quality of the students; the visit by the new Provincial of the  Salesians in Chile, Fr Alberto Lorenzelli; and finally the help which the students of the  Institute had given during the floods after the storms  – considered the worst in the last 22 years – of the Las Minas river – which passes through the centre of the city of Punta Arenas.

“I am certain that Don Bosco himself, through us, is forming every young person who comes to our school. In the same way I am convinced that in this time of crisis and change on a national and world scale, our school is doing everything to  provide a high quality education to needy people in the city of Punta Arenas”, Fr Astorga declared.

Taking part in the ceremony were the Choir and Orchestra of the Don Bosco Institute, under the direction of Prof. Luis Santana, which performed a section of the piece “Canto a Magallanes”.

Published 19/03/2012