History of Jesuits, India and JAAI
The Federation of Jesuit Alumni Associations of India (JAAI) is an association of all alumni associations of Jesuit academic institutions in India. It hopes to bring together all Jesuit alumni in the country together and direct their energies for the betterment of the society.
How it all began ..The Jesuits, India and JAAI
The Jesuit Order "Society of Jesus" was founded by St. Ignatius of Loyola in 1530s. One of his first companions was the then professor of the Paris University, Francis Xavier, who came to India in 1542. He opened the first Jesuit school in Goa in 1543. It was named St. Paul's College. Nothing exists of this institution today except its memory, but it was the predecessor of hundreds of other schools and colleges. JAAI is also affliated to the World Union of Jesuit Alumni.
Today, in India the Jesuits conduct not less than 38 university colleges, 5 Institutes of Business Administration and 155 high schools spread throughout the country, almost all of them among its most reputed (for example: St. Xavier's, Kolkata, Mumbai, Ranchi; Loyola, Chennai, Vijayawada; St. Joseph's, Bangalore, Trichy; XLRI Jamshedpur; XIM, Bhuvaneshwar). In them, more than 250,000 students belonging to every religious, linguistic and socio-economic group, receive their education.
JAAI was conceived at the Jesuit Alumni Congress in Chennai in 1995. Since then it has taken shape as an organisation, with a Governing Council, Constitution and a rotating Secretariat in place. It has also hosted five national congresses and an international congress. The 5th National Congress was held between September 7-9, 2007 in Trivandrum on the theme "Role of Alumni in Resurgent
India".
Preamble
As beneficiaries and as inheritors of the Jesuit/Ignatian legacy of Education, the members of several Alumni/AE Associations have come together to form a Federation, bonded in love and fellowship, endeavor to become men and women for others
Governing Council
- Three per Zone, Ex officio on World Union, Jesuit Advisor, Patron
- Meet once a year, First meeting at National Congress, Term Congress to Congress
- Formulate policies
- Monitor activities of the Federation and its administration
- Monitor and guide activities of Zonal Councils
- Organize National Congress
- Select representatives for World Union
- Oversee World congress in India
Zones
» North: Calcutta, Patna, Darjeeling, Delhi and Kohima Provinces
» South: Kerala, Karnataka, Andra Pradesh and Madurai Provinces
» West: Goa, Pune, Bombay and Gujrat Provinces
» Central: Dumka-Raigunj, Madhya Pradesh, Hazaribagh, Jamshedpur and Ranchi Provinces
Zonal Council
» Three Members per Province of that zone plus Province co-ordinators
» Province Coordinators vote only in event of a tie
» Select representatives for Governing Council
» Organize Zonal Congress six months before National Congress
Membership
» Founder members 28
» Only recognized Alumni Associations of Jesuit Educational Institutions
» Certificate of Recognition required from head
» Only one per Institution
» Applications to Governing Council
Fees
» Entrance Rs 2000, Fees Annual Rs.1,000.
» Province to balance amounts internally to support smaller associations