- 01 July, 2025
Uttar Pradesh/Uttarakhand, July 1, 2025: In a visionary move to integrate technology with education and transform leadership and learning, the educational institutions of the Diocese of Bareilly organised a five-day Artificial Intelligence (AI) workshop from June 25 to 30, 2025. The training empowered over 350 educators, principals, institutional heads, priests, religious sisters, and technical staff across Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand with cutting-edge AI tools for education, administration, and ministry.
The workshop was held at three locations—St. Paul’s Inter College, Shahjahanpur (June 25–26); Child Care Bishop Conrad School, Harunagla, Bareilly (June 27–28), which also included educators from St. Thomas School, Nawabganj; and Maria Assumpta Convent Sr. Sec. School, Kashipur (June 30), joined by teams from St. Peter School, Bail Parao, and St. John’s School, Ramnagar.
Leading the initiative was Rev. Fr. Julian Dsouza, Manager of St. Thomas School, Nawabganj, who collaborated with Canara Communication Centre, Mangalore, and AI Lumina, a prominent AI learning platform committed to educational innovation.
Commenting on the relevance of AI in education, the Principal of Maria Assumpta Convent Sr. Sec. School, Fr. Vivian Fernandes, observed, “AI offers us the opportunity to enhance both educational outcomes and professional efficiency. By integrating these tools, we can streamline administrative tasks, personalise learning, and enrich our ministries with innovative solutions.”
Sharing his reflections, Fr. Vijay Tellis, Manager of St. Paul’s Inter College, Shahjahanpur, remarked, “The AI workshop was not just about technology, but about transformation.” Supporting this view, Fr. Roman Dias, Manager of the same school, said, “It helped our educators realise how teaching and leadership can evolve with the right tools. We now feel better equipped to navigate the digital age with confidence and creativity.”
Fr. Norbert Rodrigues, Manager of Child Care Bishop Conrad School, said, “This workshop is a step forward in embracing the future of technology with faith and purpose.”
The sessions were led by Fr. Anil Ivan Fernandes, Director of Canara Communication Centre and a Google-certified AI Coach, and Mr. Leo Victor Zalki, Director of Oxidane Enviro LLP and a certified Oracle and Google AI Professional. Fr. Fernandes noted, “AI is a tool that can enrich teaching methods and enhance professional workflows. We enable teachers to be more creative, administrators to be more efficient, and religious leaders to connect more meaningfully with their communities.” Mr. Zalki added, “AI allows us to personalise education, streamline administration, and improve decision-making. With AI, institutions can become more adaptable to the needs of students and communities.”
Participants engaged in hands-on sessions covering adaptive learning strategies, AI-powered content creation, ethical AI usage, classroom prompt engineering, and data-driven educational planning.
The response was overwhelmingly positive. Teachers described the sessions as eye-opening and empowering. Many said the workshop demystified AI and gave them direct access to tools they had only heard about.
Aloysius Singh from Bareilly shared that the mentors not only introduced numerous AI tools but also enabled hands-on use, making his teaching "more creative, interesting, and time-saving." Anupriya Ranjan from Maria Assumpta Convent School, Kashipur, said the sessions were "highly informative and engaging," praising how complex topics were simplified. Kavita Kudeshia from St. Paul’s Inter College, Shahjahanpur, said the training left her "confident and inspired," and that the demonstrations sparked new ideas for classroom innovation.
To extend the training’s impact, around 50 participants and several institutions received premium AI tool subscriptions. Each attendee also received a curated AI Toolkit for Education and a digital certificate of participation, ensuring continued learning and application.
This initiative by the educational institutions of the Catholic Diocese of Bareilly marks a significant step in aligning Catholic education with 21st-century tools and values. By blending technology with mission, diocesan institutions have set a new standard for future-ready Catholic education rooted in faith, purpose, and innovation.
By Fr. Anil Ivan Fernandes
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