The contributions made by the Carmelites of Mary Immaculate (CMI), the first indigenous Catholic Congregation of India, in the educational field of Kerala were pioneering and revolutionary. Blessed Kuriakose Elias Chavara, the Founder of the CMI Congregation, established the first Catholic School of Kerala at Mannanam in 1846. All the other CMI Monasteries also followed that movement. In the year 1864, Blessed Chavara, in his capacity as the Vicar General of the Syro-Malabar Church, ordered all the parishes to start schools adjacent to them. This historic order triggered the emergence of a galaxy of educational institutions all over the State. It also became the basis of the socio-economic development of the whole State.  

The main aim of the entire educational endeavour of the Congregation is to bring about a social transformation with emphasis on an option for the poor, coupled with a target of a moral reconstruction of society. Today, the CMIs run about 500 educational institutions which include Schools, Arts and Science Colleges, Autonomous Colleges, M. Ed and B. Ed Colleges , Engineering Colleges, Polytechnic Colleges, ITC Centres, Nursing Schools, Research Centres and a Medical College.

CMI EDUCATION POLICY

 We, the Carmelites of Mary Immaculate, after the example of our founder Blessed Kuriakose Elias Chavara, consider education as integral formation of the human person for the fulfillment of his/her individual and social responsibilities. Our Educational endeavours aim at forming 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.

The secret of the success of our educational institution is a community of teachers who are committed to their vocation, professionally competent, morally upright, just and humane in dealings, and who grow in the true vision of education.We aspire towards creating a just human society where dignity of the human person is respected, where unjust structures are challenged, where our cultural heritage of ahimsa, religious harmony and national integration is upheld, and where the poor and the marginalized are specially taken care of.

Our institutions are open to all students irrespective of caste and creed; they are accepted and cherished as they are and are helped to grow in their cultural, social and religious traditions. As they are privileged to be in our institutions, they will also have the right to get acquainted with the person of Jesus Christ and his gospel. 
Our institutions have to be open to society at large by making their resources available for the ongoing education and non-formal teaching. For the realization of this CMI goal of education, we expect students, parents and teachers to share this vision and to cooperate with us whole-heartedly.