Volume 24 No. 3 | Spring 2014
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St Ignatius Loyola school, giving Indonesian children
quality education to equip them for life
In the fishing and tourist town of Labuan Bajo, on the
Indonesian island of Flores, in an area surrounded by
subsistence farming and characterised by low incomes
and poor educational opportunities, sits the St Ignatius
Loyola Senior High School.
The school, run by the Divine Word Missionaries, is a
shining bastion of quality schooling which proclaims
the importance of providing a good education to help
children access a better life.
Established from very humble beginnings in 1983,
the school has grown and developed over the years
and recently saw the opening of a new library and
administration centre, for which the SVD AUS Province,
through the generosity of our Mission Partners, was able
to contribute funds.
AUS Provincial, Fr Henry Adler SVD visited the school
last year to observe the works, and says the school is
a wonderful example of the Divine Word Missionary
commitment to providing quality education for the poor
and underprivileged.
“I saw a well-run school, serving children from many
outlying areas, all of whom were receiving an education
they could not have dreamed of accessing in their rural
local villages,” Fr Henry says.
“I was particularly delighted that, thanks to our Mission
Partners, we were able to provide funds to build a new
library, which was much needed.”
Fr Marsel Nahas SVD, of the Ruteng Province, where the
school is located, says the school has become a favourite
for local and distant families because of its commitment in
a range of key areas.
One of those areas is good discipline.
“St Ignatius Loyola high school is focused on discipline,”
he says. “A daily punctuality schedule has been strictly
formulated for students and it has to be followed by all
students.”
Big efforts are also made to address truancy and absentee
rates, as well as in wearing of the school uniform.
“These rules have encouraged parents to favour St
Ignatius and send their children here,” he says.
Cleanliness is another area where St Ignatius stands out
from the crowd.
“St Ignatius high school has a beautiful, clean
compound,” Fr Marsel says. “It is clean because the
teachers have built up a mindset among the students
that the school belongs to everybody and everybody has
responsibility to look after the cleanliness and the nice
