St. Xavier’s College, Kothavara ,Vaikom started functioning in 1981. It is owned and managed by St. Xavier’s Church Kothavara. Starting of the college brightened the prospect of higher education in Vaikom Taluk and slowly a social and cultural evolution started banishing the dark cloud of illiteracy, ignorance , superstition etc.
The College is situated in a remote area, 10 km away from the nearest municipal town , Vaikom. Its campus is spread in 18 acres of land stretching beautifully on the banks of the Vembanad lake in Kottayam District. On the eastern side of the College roughly 2 km away is the Vaikom Kumarakom road, on the western side flows the river Kariyar, on the south is the lake Vembabnad fortified by the famous Thanneermukkam Barrage. The College is situated two km from Ullala Junction on the Vaikom Kumarakom road. This is a low -lying and water logged area.
The majority of the inhabitants around belong to economically, socially, and culturally backward families. Most of them earn their livelihood from fishing, farm labour, mat-making ,cattle-rearing, toddy-tapping etc. Some of our students themselves go for fishing during the night and for farm labour during holidays. As far as education and economy are concerned, this area is at the lowest rung in the map of Kerala. Most of the students of this college are first generation learners . Vaikom, in which the College is situated, is now a reserved constituency of the Kerala Legislative Assembly.
Though the original sanction in 1981 was for starting three Arts and Commerce batches in the Pre- Degree with 80 students each, in the next year itself (1982) permission was granted to start two more Science batches. Subsequently , since 1982, the pre degree course has been complete with all the four groups. The year 1991 was a milestone in the history of the College, when it was upgraded by starting its first undergraduate course in physics. In 1993, another degree course in Economics and in 1995 the third one, B. Com also were started. Our long- cherished desire to give vocational orientation to education was rewarded by getting sanction for B.Sc. Zoology with aqua culture as vocational subject in 1998, B.A. Politics vocational in 1999 and B. Sc. Chemistry vocational in 2001. Thus the college now offers six Degree courses.
MILE STONE OF DEVELOPMENT
1981 - Inauguration of the college with Pre- Degree course with two batches in third group (Humanities) and one batch in fourth
group( commerce) consisting of 240 students, 6 faculty members and 7 supporting staff.
1982 - Commencement of First group (Maths) and Second group
(Biology) Batches.
1991 - The college was upgraded with Degree Course in B.Sc Physics.
1992 - Inauguration of the Administrative Block Building (His Eminence Antony Cardinal Padiyara Sapthathy Memorial).
1993 - Commencement of B.A Economics Degree course.
1995 - Commencement of B.Com Degree course.
1998 - Commencement of B.Sc Zoology ( Aquaculture ) Vocational
Degree course.
- Inauguration of the New Block by Mar. Thomas Chakiyath,
Aux. Bishop of Ernakulam.
- Inauguration of the Computer Centre.
- The College was included in the list of Colleges under Section
2(f) and 12(B) of the U.G.C Act 1956, and became eligible to
receive U.G.C assistance.
1999 - Commencement of B.A Political Science (Journalism) Vocational Degree Course.
2001 - We bagged the First Rank and III Rank in B.Sc. Zoology (Voc) in the M.G University examination. Commencement of B.Sc Chemistry (Pharmaceutical) Vocational Degree Course.
2002 - We bagged the first three ranks of the B.A Political Science (Voc) Examination of the M.G University.
2003 - We bagged the II Rank in B.Sc. Zoology (Voc) examination in
the M.G. University.
- We bagged the first three ranks in B.A Political Science (Voc)
Examination of the M.G. University.
2004 - We bagged the First Rank in B.Sc. Chemistry (Voc) Examination of the M.G. University.
2006 - Silver Jubilee Celebrations of the College. We bagged the first rank and third rank in B.Sc Chemistry (Voc.) examination of M.G. University.
2007 - We bagged the First Rank in B. Sc. Chemistry (Voc.) Examination of the M. G. University.
- We bagged the First three ranks in B.A. (Pol. Science) (Voc.) Examination of the M.G. University.