Management Development Programme on Minority Status and Educational Rights

The Department of Business Administration, St Joseph Engineering College (Autonomous), Mangalore, organized a half day Management Development Programme (MDP) on “Minority Status and Educational Rights: Legal Provisions, Procedures & Implications” on Saturday, 3rd January 2026, at Spoorthi Hall, Academic Block III. The programme aimed to create awareness among parish priests, convent sisters, heads, and representatives of various minority educational institutions, along with administrators and academic leaders, on the constitutional provisions, legal procedures, and administrative implications related to minority educational institutions in India.

The programme was inaugurated and presided over by Most Rev. Dr Peter Paul Saldanha, Bishop of Mangalore and President, SJEC. The Chief Guest, Rev Fr Ravi Sagar, S.J., Advocate, Supreme Court of India, was formally welcomed by Dr Rio D’Souza, Principal, SJEC. He delivered an insightful address on the constitutional framework, legal procedures, and recent judicial interpretations relating to minority educational institutions.

The MDP featured two sessions focusing on the constitutional basis of minority rights, procedures for obtaining minority status, and practical governance challenges faced by minority educational institutions. The Chief Guest highlighted Articles 29 and 30 of the Indian Constitution, legal procedures for obtaining minority status, and recent judicial interpretations affecting minority educational institutions. The programme concluded successfully with positive participant feedback

The event was graced by Rev Fr Wilfred Prakash D’Souza, Director, SJEC; Rev Dr Praveen Leo Lasrado, Secretary, Catholic Board of Education; Dr Rio D’Souza, Principal, SJEC and Dr Prakash Pinto, Professor & Dean of the Department of Business Administration SJEC.

The programme was coordinated by Dr Prakash Pinto, Dean – MBA, along with Mr Nelson Marwin Fernandes and Mr Cherian Xavier, Assistant Professors, MBA. The MDP concluded successfully achieving its objective of enhancing legal awareness and informed institutional governance.