Abstract: St. Kuriakose Elias Chavara was born in Kerala, India on 10th February, 1805. He led an extra ordinary life of holiness and committed action for the transformation of the society. He died on 3rd January 1871 and was canonised by his Holiness Pope Francis on 23rd November, 2014. The Kerala society at the time of St. Chavara was very much backward in social, cultural and educational levels. St. Chavara was a visionary leader of the time who envisaged many plans for the spiritual and social progress of the Church and society. His educational contributions laid a strong foundation for a just society in which all human beings were worthy of erudition, justice, respect and dignity. He is credited with foundations of two congregations, indigenous printing press and publications, a Sanskrit School, schools adjoined to every parish church, boarding school attached to convents and initiation of women empowerment programmes. His educational reforms brought a new dawn in the educational history of the state of Kerala. St. Chavara’s education vision includes inclusion, expansion and equity, excellence, and a comprehensive outlook. This study is to identify his major contributions in the field of education which resulted in the fast development of Kerala.
Keywords: Visionary educator, inclusion, expansion, excellence, women emancipation, dissemination of knowledge, comprehensive development.
Title: St. Kuriakose Elias Chavara: A Unique and Vibrant Educational Visionary of Kerala
Author: Mollykutty P. V., Kennedy Andrew Thomas
International Journal of Social Science and Humanities Research
ISSN 2348-3156 (Print), ISSN 2348-3164 (online)
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