St. Xavier’s School, Sahibganj

St. Xavier’s School, Sahibganj, Jharkhand, India, was founded by the Maltese Jesuits in 1957 with English as the medium of instruction. It is coeducational, primary through higher secondary, and prepares students for the Indian Certificate of Secondary Education.

History

Members of the Society of Jesus from the island of Malta had in 1930 opened schools with Hindi as the teaching language at Guhiajori and Tinpahar in the Santhal Pargana district of Bihar state.They then determined to open a school in Sahebganj, Jharkhand, with English as the medium of instruction.

1957 in January: school opens in 3 bungalows with 5 boys and 2 girls spread from infant to Prep II; school bus from June, year ended with 70 children

1958: hall used for classrooms on 21-acre campus on banks of Ganga River

1960: boarding began at Nellie Villa, soon shifted to campus

1962: present school building completed

1966: Daughters of the Sacred Heart from Jhansi teach and help in hostel; classes extended from Class VIII to IX with Council for Indian School Certificate Board affiliation

1968: hostel wing occupied by boys; construction of father’s quarters

1969: nine boys take Indian School Certificate Examination, eight first and one second division passes

1972: new entrance opened; filled to capacity; science wing and staff quarters constructed

1974: January new primary building opened; free Dispensary opened for area people

1976: ISC classes in science and commerce

1980: new block with boys commons, science labs, library, and new school hall

1982: September, Mother Teresa graces Silver Jubilee Celebration, blessing of new hall bv Bishop Telesphore Toppo

1983: school session changed to begin in June rather than January

2007: Golden Jubilee; dispensary, computer section, parents waiting hall, staff quarters gradually added

2017: all 193 graduates passed the ICSE exam

In his book A Walk Along the Ganges, Dennison Berwick says that this is a school for the well-to-do, with a reputation for excellence. There are numerous videos of the school.