About St. Xavier's

In 1960, Mr. Bell, the then GM of Hindustan Steel Ltd, now known as Durgapur Steel Plant, requested the Jesuit provincial Fr. R Antoine SJ to establish a school in Durgapur and he offered a small plot of land. Finding it inadequate, the provincial declined the offer. Around the same time, Mother Mary Alphonsus AC, Superior of St. Teresa's Convent decided to start a convent school in Durgapur with the help of the Jesuit fathers. Fr. Van Exem, SJ, the vicar of the Church of Asansol conveyed this information to Fr. Antoine SJ. It was probably then that the idea of opening St. Xavier's School, Durgapur took shape in the mind of Fr Antoine. Due to unforeseen circumstances, matters got delayed. Simultaneously, a search was on to find an alternative site for the school. Mr. Lahiri, the General Manager of HEC later renamed as MAMC was eager to provide space for the school in his township.

The school was to start from January 1963 but the 'Chinese Aggression' and the subsequent situation delayed the start. It was decided that the school would be English medium, affiliated to the Senior Cambridge Board. It was also decided that the school would be co-ed, up to class IV but from V onwards, it would be for boys only.

Thus began, on the 1st day of May, 1963, our event - St. Xavier's School, Durgapur embarking on imparting quality education to its students, from a modest shed in the Ophthalmic Glass Project. Having had a modest beginning in a factory shed, the school was destined to become one of the premier educational institutions of the steel city.

After a few months, on the 14th of September, 1963, the school was shifted to a permanent single storey primary school building in MAMC Township, near the CD quarters. Fr Dubois along with Fr A. Crasta SJ began to pioneer the project.

In mid 1964, ML Donnelly, Deputy Managing Director of ACC, Vicker, Babcock Ltd, now known as General Electric contacted the then Jesuit Provincial, Fr. A. Wautier, SJ with a proposal of ten acres of land for a school run by the Jesuit fathers.

This time everything went on smoothly and on 18th February, 1966, the foundation stone of the present building was laid by Dr. Dharamsey M Khatau, Chairman AVB Ltd.

In January, 1967, St. Xavier's School was relocated from the MAMC Primary School building to its new and permanent location.

In 1964 due to a growing demand, another Primary School for the children of Durgapur Steel Plant Township had been opened, which was to be overlooked by a Prefect along with the Headmaster of the main St. Xavier's School, Durgapur. This branch of school also had its own history of moving from place to place. It started in Tagore House in 1964, then shifted to a new Primary building on Lala Lajpat Rai Road and finally to Mirabai Road in 1971. On the expiry of the 30 years lease in 2001 and after a grace period of 5 years, the Jesuit Fathers decided to move out of DSP Township.

So, in 2004, the construction of the new building began in the main campus and the Primary Section at Mirabai Road was shifted to the new building in 2006. The school celebrated its Silver Jubilee in 1988 under the supervision of the then head master Fr. A. Wavreil, SJ and the Golden Jubilee was celebrated in 2013, under the able guidance of the then Headmaster Fr. M.S. Arockiasamy, SJ.

The golden jubilee celebration was a landmark event in the history of the school. Even as each of us in the family exulted in the feeling of pride and fulfilment, we also realized that it would not be enough to bask in the glory of the past 50 years - rather it was already time to draw the roadmap for the next 50.

In keeping with changing times, shortly after, the school made its transition from the manual to the digital.

Jesuit education envisages a holistic approach to education: hence, carrying forward the age-old adage of a healthy mind in a healthy body, the school saw the introduction of yoga as a part of the Physical Education curriculum. Not only this, a highly specialized gym was also set up not only for the use of the senior students, but also for all the faculty members of the school.

We here at SXS Durgapur believe that every child is unique and therefore very special. The school recognizes and nurtures individual talents and offers children a platform to express themselves. Keeping this in mind, a special thrust was given to this aspect by forming various clubs: the Nature Club, the Debating Club etc. This gave ample scope to students to express themselves in their own fields of excellence.

The setting up of the Geography Lab in the year 2014-15 was also a great moment of pride in the history of the school.

The turn of the decade saw the entire world in the grip of a deadly pandemic. The school geared up to take requisite steps to go online. In the face of unforeseen hurdles, our erstwhile Principal successfully launched the online mode of learning. Over the decades, the school football ground had lost its green luster and had become barren and dusty. The untiring efforts of Rev. Fr. Zenith William in collaboration with the West Bengal Forest Department, ultimately bore fruit, and we now have a lush green sprawling field once again. Located just beside the school gymnasium, is a fun-filled Children's Park for the Primary Section. It is a brain child of the present Principal Fr. Zenith William.

Another landmark achievement has been the introduction of the Nursery section in 2023, under the aegis of our Principal, Rev. Fr. Zenith William. The idea behind this is to take the saying Catch them Young. It is a strong belief that the longer the time a child spends within the portals of this institution, the better an individual he emerges.

The school has a long history of academic achievement, with many of its students going on to study at some of the best universities in India and abroad.

Over the years, St. Xavier's School has also been involved in various social and cultural activities. The school has organized many educational tours and excursions, as well as sports and cultural events. It has also been actively involved in community service and social outreach programs.

Today, St. Xavier's School, Durgapur, is considered one of the best schools in the region, providing its students with quality education, a supportive environment, and opportunities to excel in various fields. The school continues to build on its legacy of academic excellence and social engagement, shaping the next generation of leaders who will contribute to the growth and development of the region and the country as a whole.

The school completed its 60 years of Human Excellence and Academic Achievement on 1st May, 2023. The Diamond Jubilee celebrations were held from 28th January, 2024 to 31st January, 2024 under the flagship of Fr. Zenith William.