Rajagiri College of Management & Applied Sciences together with its sister educational institutions, owes its existence to the CMI (Carmelites of Mary Immaculate) Fathers, the first ever indigenous religious congregation for men in the Syrian Catholic tradition of Christianity in India formed in the 19th century by Saint Kuriakose Elias Chavara. The CMIs have built institutions that are considered leaders in their area. The CMI journey in the field of Higher Education begins with the establishment of Sacred Heart College (S.H. College), Thevara in 1944. The Rajagiri High School that is situated in Cochin was in fact one of the first schools to have come in the unaided sector when it was established in 1964. The Rajagiri Schools, which comprise the Rajagiri Kindergarten, Rajagiri Higher Secondary School and Rajagiri Public School, are prestigious schools of the state. The pioneering vision has created the Rajagiri College of Social Sciences that houses the School of Social Work, School of Management and the School of Computer Science all of which have become premier schools of education in the country. The Rajagiri School of Engineering and Technology has already earned the reputation as one of the best engineering colleges in the state. Presently the CMIs manage a network of over 200 schools, 15 affiliated colleges, 12 technical institutes, one Medical college, one Engineering college, three BEd colleges, five special schools, 18 non formal educational institutions and 17 cultural centres.
CMI Vision
The CMI Vision of Education, inspired by its founder, St Kuriakose Elias Chavara, is to transform an individual to an integral human being modelled after the biblical image of Jesus Christ. It aims at rendering an all-round and excellent formation of students, deriving energy and guidance from the life of Jesus Christ and from the rich cultural heritage of our country.
CMI educational institutions are established as minority rights institutions of the Syrian Catholic Community, based on minority rights constitutionally granted in India. However, the institutions are meant to serve all sections of society irrespective of their caste, creed, or affiliations, and they maintain an atmosphere wherein all the students and staff are equally accepted and delightedly helped to grow in their own cultural, social, and religious traditions.
CMI Education Policy Statement
The CMI educational endeavours aim at moulding leaders who are intellectually competent, spiritually mature, morally upright, psychologically integrated, physically healthy, and socially acceptable. They shall champion the cause of justice, love, truth, and peace, and remain ever open to further growth. The secret of the success of the CMI educational institutions is a community of teachers who are committed to their vocation, professionally competent, morally upright, just, and humane in dealings, culturally sensitive and conform with the true vision of education.
The hallmarks of CMI education can be summarized as follows.
All Round formation: Aims at- the formation of future leaders who are intellectually competent, spiritually mature, morally upright, psychologically integrated, physically healthy and socially acceptable, who will champion the cause of Justice, love, truth and peace and who are ever open to further growth.
A community of committed teachers: Partners in the mission; professionally competent, morally upright, just and human in dealings, who are ready to adapt and grow according to the needs of time, while being faithful to the CMI vision of education.
Family centered education: CMI educational institutions believe and uphold the centrality of family in shaping a just society, and hence believe in reaching out to the families, primarily of the students, to assist them in their needs, to share their joys and sorrows, and to help them experience love and freedom so that the students experience their educational endeavour in CMI institutions as an extension of their home life.
Open to all aspiring students: Irrespective of their caste and creed, the students are accepted and cherished as they are, and are helped to grow in their cultural, social and religious traditions. Community oriented: CMI educational institutions have to reach out to the community, by making their resources available for the ongoing and non- formal education.
A just and Humane Society as the ultimate Goal: CMI educational endeavours must contribute to the building of a just and human society, where the dignity of the human person is respected, unjust social structures are challenged, our cultural heritage is upheld, religious harmony and national integration are promoted and where the poor and the marginalized are specially taken care of.
While being rooted in the Indian soil, the CMIs have been successful in branching out to all corners of the world, having established centres in Rome, New York, Bonn, South and Central Africa and Latin America. Responding to the current trends of globalization and internationalization affecting every domain of life, CMI colleges, have taken the bold initiative to go international by establishing collaborative ventures with universities abroad.
Rajagiri College of Management and Applied Sciences is the latest addition to the Rajagiri group of institutions. It is an affiliated college offering undergraduate and post-graduate degrees conferred by Mahatma Gandhi University.
