LIME Update, Spring 2022

Meeting at Tombontsoa, Fianarantsoa

Last February 19^th 2022, the teaching body of LIME held a special meeting to evaluate these past school years and to make propositions for the next ones.  The meeting took place at Tombontsoa, a well-known place for seminars and workshops in Fianarantsoa. All staff administration members and all 24 teachers came.  The purpose was to evaluate the dynamic life of partnership between the LCMS Mid-South District and LIME and to formulate new propositions for the blossoming of that growing partnership.

A short devotion opened the meeting.  Greeting for all present teachers and administration staff members came after it: greetings because of the New Year 2022 and thanks for being present at the meeting.  The meeting itself followed it. Evaluations, propositions and discussions constitute the core of the meeting.  The whole meeting lasted three hours from 9 30AM to 12.30PM. An agape lunch ended it.  In the Malagasy Lutheran Church, a church business meeting ends with a common meal called agape.

Allow me to give you a summary of the whole meeting. The message is simple: continuation of the mission through education though the strengthening of the partnership between the LCMS Mid-South District and LIME.  In fact, LIME staff administration members and teachers appreciated very much the loving and dynamic engagement that the Mid-South District has shown.  The outcome of such posture was the birth of LIME and its growth.   

An Overview of the History of the LCMS Mi-South District and LIME Partnership

The mission undertaken by The LCMS Mid-South District and LIME uses education as a means of transmission of the Gospel. It started from the ground some years ago. An old and wrecked building of two floors was transformed into a modern school building at Masombahoaka, Fianarantsoa later in 2016. Four class rooms were furnished with chairs and tables. WIFI connection was added to the pedagogical tools. Finally, a small language laboratory was set for languages learning. Jesus of Nazareth performed these miracles by using the LCMS Mid-South District. The Lutheran Institute of Management and Entrepreneurship (LIME) was ready to start its mission in close brotherly partnership with the LCMS Mid-South District.

The focus of the mission consists in assuring the future of young people coming from poor families, especially from rural ones. Madagascar is ranked among the poorest countries in the world. This situation is due to the low intellectual levels of the young people. Many of children who go the primary schools leave studies in the middle of their high school grades. Only a few number of those who have finished their high school have the ability to go the universities. That is a good opportunity for both the LCMS Mid-South District and LIME to practice mission through education.

The Infrastructure offers more advantages

All the 24 teachers agreed that LIME has one the best infrastructure in town among the private universities in town. Only the state university one outdoes it. The building has two floors with average size classrooms each. One large room ends the second floor. One midsize large room occupies one part of the first floor. All the classrooms are used.

Alas! The large room of the second floor and the midsize large room of the first floor have up to now stayed empty and unused. The teachers reinforced the staff administration idea of using them for income generating projects. They suggested that LIME should furnish them with chairs and tables for these purposes. They said that the burden from poverty was already heavy on the shoulders of parents of the students. This was the reason behind the decrease of students coming to study at LIME. This decrease had impact on LIME financial situation. Income generating projects would change the balance of LIME financial situation.

The teachers also remarked that LIME might be better known by more people if it might improve its advertisements through media. Up to now, LIME has used traditional media such as local radios and televisions. They suggested that time has come to use internet communication and face book. They recommended the purchase of pages on the face book for specified number of days. This approach would allow LIME to be known everywhere in the world or at least in larger areas of Madagascar.

According to the teachers, one another way of advertisement is the creation of a small brochure containing all information about LIME. The information will include photos of LIME building and of LIME main activities in color, academic and professional trainings offered at LIME. The brochure should be multiplied, broadcasted and spread to as many places as possible.

Improvement of Academic and Professional Trainings

The teachers insisted on the moral and religious values to be passed on to the students. They affirmed that this kind of pedagogy was an integral part of a religious institution such as LIME. They themselves were recruited not only from their academic and professional competency but also from their Christian life practice. LIME educates young people to study and to live as practicing Christians and to win victory on this earthly fighting life.

They proposed to create new openings for the improvement of academic and professional trainings at LIME. Study trips might be one of them. LIME should organize trips to visit and study sites in relation to the school syllabi. For example, tourism class should visit and study a touristic site be it a historic one or a religious one. Local factory visits in Fianarantsoa might be organized in the goal of allowing students to be in contact with management and entrepreneurship.

Academic and professional partnerships were also encouraged by the teachers. One of them might be partnership with abroad universities like LCMS Concordia universities. The other one might be partnership with local factories or business institutions or local universities. LIME has already been in partnership with the local Fianarantsoa state university for some years.

Finally, the teachers made prominent the place of languages in academic and professional life. They proposed the creation of languages clubs like English one. A volunteer from the Mid-South District could be the best starter of that English club.

In fact, this February 19th meeting has suggested ideas for the partnership between the Mid-South District and LIME itself. These ideas may be compared to branches that abide in the vine to bear fruits. LIME has in its mind and heart the success of the mission through education undertaken together with the Mid-South District for the glory of Jesus Christ Who sends us to preach the Gospel into the world.

Rev. Dr Randrianasolo Joseph
President of LIME