"Education is not the learning of facts, but training of the mind to think." - Albert EinsteinE.
St Xavier’s College, a co-educational institution was established on 01.08.2011 at Mauadanr, district Latehar, Jharkhand by the Hazaribag Jesuit Province to impart quality education to the under-privileged and indigenous students. However, admissions are irrespective of caste, creed, gender and economic disparities and even from outside the Chechari valey, particularly for girls. Its setting is gorgeous with Netahar hill-station, Burha-hills, Aksi-hills and Champa- hills in the east, west, north and south. Earlier, the nearest degree-college was 100 kilometres away from Mahuadanr.
The founding Principal Fr. Gilbert D’Souza, S.J., a visionary, thinker and motivator moved the teachers and students forward, using the expertise of having been the Principal of St Xavier’s College Ranchi during 1993-2000. Initially, classes were conducted in St. Joseph's +2 School and St. Teresa Girls’ High School, Mahuadanr.
The college was officially inaugurated on 03.12.2011 by Mr. Inder Singh Namdhari, the first speaker of Jharkhand and then Member of Parliament, Chatra, Jharkhand.
In 2014, the classes shifted to the new college building. To date, eight batches of undergraduate students have passed out, some securing gold medals and many obtaining top 10 positions in the Nilamber-Pitamber University, Medininagar. This is due to the relentless efforts of the administration and staff and the cooperation of parents, benefactors and well-wishers.
Offering undergraduate courses in Arts, Humanities, Commerce and Science, the college is determined to transform the students by transcending educational levels through classes, guidance, seminars, workshops and extra-curricular activities, focussing on competence and excellence. The college has sufficient rooms for classes, laboratories and activities. Education and formation of the youth always remain the priority.
Besides academic excellence which helps to enhance personality emphasis is also on moral and human values. Combining strict discipline and freedom of thought the students are helped to become responsible citizens. Their employability is strengthened by the college’s certificate courses. The traditional ‘chalk and talk’ system is replaced by the latest teaching-learning practices. The college’s website www.sxcm.co.in is informative.
All-round development being our priority, students are helped with contextualized study through diverse academic activities and competitions, to develop skills in entrepreneurship, leadership, management, communication, presentation, creativity etc. to plunge into the highly competitive world. Internships, field-trips and educational tours are arranged for exploration and discovery to critically examine the classroom learning.
Academic and personal counselling is arranged for personal and development guidance. The resulting rapport helps the students with the challenges in studies, growth and career-planning. Co-curricular and extra-curricular activities facilitate creative and critical thinking. Along with socio-moral values, compassion, value for one’s culture, rights and duties, they make them good and versatile persons and leaders with dreams for new heights. We visualize them to ‘walk with heads erect in God’s free air’ and work together as nation building patriots of justice and nationalism, not jingoism.
Fr. Dr. Lawrence Tirkey SJ succeeded Fr Gilbert D’Souza SJ on 1.5.2014. Both deserve thanks for their leadership. Dr. Fr. MK Jose SJ became Principal on 15.10.2015.
Annually only around 130 took admission; there was doubt about quality education in Mahuadanr. Getting good professors and affiliation-renewal were genuine concerns. Fees being low financial help was needed from the Jesuit head-quarters. But the sustained motivation of the Principal and others was such, that quality education was given to the poor in remote area and more than 50% of the beneficiaries were girls.
Excellent university examination results attracted more students. A generous well-wisher donated funds for a girls-hostel. Fr. M.K. Jose requested the Head of the Vishakapatanam Province of Sisters of St. Ann of Luzern Congregation to send Sisters to administer the hostel and teach in the college. Accordingly, Sr. Kaslin Juliet and Sr. Nirmala Por Selvi, Assistant Professors and Sr Maryana Marki, Hostel warden, were sent. On 3.7.2017, the Vice Chancellor Dr. S.N. Singh inaugurated the hostel in the presence of many dignitaries. In his speech he praised the infrastructure of the college.
Now, students’ number has tripled. Academic excellence, Jesuit-vision of men and women for others, community development programmes like awareness-talks, street plays, health camps etc. are priorities. During Covid-19, distant villages were provided food and masks. The students are educated to wipe away fear, ignorance, bigotry and smear to transform today’s society with newness of life.
“Disciplined and value based quality higher education is the main focus of St. Xavier's College."
Education in the modern world is no longer merely the imparting of knowledge but it is concerned with the awakening of curiosity, the development of proper interests, attitudes and values and the capacity to think and judge for oneself, without which one cannot become a responsible citizen of the nation. Our Formation of a new generation of students through quality higher education will enable them to be torch bearers to transform the society and the nation.
To achieve the above goals, students of St. Xavier’s College are provided with ample opportunities to engage in curricular and co-curricular activities. We strive hard with pure and chastened spirit, patience, understanding, sympathy, forbearance, generosity, fortitude and above all with relentless determination.
Our pivotal emphasis is on all round personality development of the students. We achieve this by providing contextualized study curriculum which is given through diversified academic activities focusing on entrepreneurial skills, leadership quality, management skill, team spirit, communication and presentation skills, creativity etc., whereby students are well equipped and ready to plunge into the competitive world. Based on the selected subjects, different classes are organized. Seminars, national conferences, sports meet, art and craft competitions, etc. are conducted and the winners are awarded. National days and diverse cultural festivals are celebrated to promote unity in diversity. I envisage that our students uphold the value of unity in diversity and become builders of our great country.
Internships, field trips, educational tours, science fair and mini research projects are arranged for the students to generate and address critical questions about the knowledge acquired in class rooms. Field Trips and Excursions are conducted to provide first-hand experience to the students. Seminars are conducted to widen the knowledge of the students. The primary objective is to equip the students with new knowledge, new skills, new understanding and new learning habits with a positive approach through regular classes, and various programs such as mentor-mentee, remedial classes for slow learners, coaching for competitive exams etc. Faculty members and students are encouraged to attend seminars and workshops conducted by other reputed colleges and universities.
Our higher education aims at wiping away the four calumnies of fear, ignorance, bigotry and smear and I believe that this will transform today’s human society and bring change and newness in life. As the head of this Jesuit higher educational institution, I look forward and strive hard towards the integral growth of our students to foster harmony and peace between human beings and with the eco-system.
This higher educational institution has gained a reputation for itself as it rejects the theory of ignoble ease and promotes the doctrine of strenuous life among hundreds of students who pass through the portals of the college.
I dream and dare mighty things as I believe that without daring dreams life becomes slothful. The doctrine of strenuous life has the power to hold the college administration on its toes to erase all slothful ease that spring from lack of dream, lack of goals and lack of will power to strive after great things. The doctrine of strenuous life is capable of reading the signs of the time and responding to them by taking calculated risks and varied actions. As Swami Vivekananda said, “Education is the manifestation of perfection already in human”, education is human-making, life-giving and character-building, therefore ‘arise, awake and stop not till the goal is achieved’.
