The Moral Voice of the College

A Unique Association with the College

Mar Joseph Powathil occupied a unique place in the history of S. B. College. He served the institution in multiple roles—as student, faculty member, hostel warden, manager, and patron. Few individuals have enjoyed such a comprehensive association with a single institution. Mar Mathew Kavukattu comes closest to this distinction, having also been a member of the first student batch, a faculty member, warden, and later patron. For the record, in 1928, Rev. Dr. James Kalacherry, a S B lecturer in Logic, was elevated as Bishop of Changanacherry. At the age of 35, he may be regarded as one among the youngest bishops in the world.

Stewardship During a Transformative Era

Mar Powathil joined the college administration in 1972, the institution’s golden jubilee year. It was a decisive period in the history of both the college and higher education in Kerala. From that point until his demise in 2023—one year after the college celebrated its centenary—he remained a major influence on the institution’s direction and policies.

Formation, Priesthood, and Academic Service

After earning a B.A. in Economics from S. B. College, Mar Joseph Powathil completed his M.A. in Economics at Loyola College, Madras (now Chennai), administered by the Jesuits. He initially joined the Jesuit order but later chose diocesan priesthood.

He pursued philosophy and theology at the Jesuit-run Papal Seminary in Pune and was ordained a priest in 1962. In 1963, he returned to his alma mater as Lecturer in Economics and was simultaneously appointed Warden of St. Joseph’s Hostel on the college campus.

Auxiliary Bishop and Manager

Mar Antony Padiyara (bishop of Ooty), when appointed Archbishop of  Changanacherry, on the demise of Mar Mathew Kavukattu, expressed desire for an auxiliary bishop from Changanacherry. Rev. Fr. Joseph Powathil was nominated and consecrated auxiliary bishop in January 1972 at the age of forty-one. He was also appointed Manager of S. B. College.

The Direct Payment Agreement and Ethical Administration

The year 1972 marked a watershed in Kerala’s higher education sector. After prolonged agitation by private college teachers seeking salary and service parity with government college teachers, and parallel student movements demanding fee parity, the Kerala Government entered into what became known as the Direct Payment Agreement with private college managements.

Under this arrangement, student fees were collected by the government and staff salaries were paid directly by the state at government scales. In return, managements accepted certain restrictions relating to appointments of teachers and admissions of students. Institutions that entered the agreement became grant-in-aid institutions, popularly known as aided colleges.

As Manager, Mar Joseph Powathil signed the direct payment agreement on behalf of S. B. College.

While the agreement provided financial stability to institutions, it also created opportunities for abuse. In many colleges, appointment of teachers became linked to the payment of money to managements. Such practices gradually became widespread across the state. Under Mar Joseph Powathil’s leadership, however, S. B. College did not follow this path. Along with Assumption College, it may have been among the very few institutions across the state of Kerala, that consistently resisted the emerging culture of appointment-related payments.

Lesson from S B’s History

The history of S. B. College itself provides a valuable perspective on questions of accountability and governance.

Its founder-principal, Rev. Fr. Mathew Purackal, had to bear the brunt in a very critical situation. When the college, then affiliated to the University of Madras, was granted science programmes in 1927, the university required the construction of additional laboratory and classroom facilities. Fr. Purackal embarked upon the ambitious science block, or tower block, but was unable to complete it because of financial constraints.

As university pressure mounted and resources dwindled, staff salaries were reduced. Complaints from faculty members eventually reached the University of Madras. A syndicate-appointed commission investigated the matter and concluded that institutional finances had been mismanaged. The university subsequently removed the principal and ordered corrective measures. Thus, the founder-principal’s distinguished contribution ended under unfortunate circumstances, and Rev. Fr. Romeo Thomas of TOCD (later CMI) was appointed principal in 1936. Bishop Mar James Kalacherry later allocated a rubber plantation and additional funds to restore the college’s financial stability.

This episode raises a larger question. If university authorities could intervene to protect teachers and institutional integrity in that earlier era, why have similar mechanisms failed to address the exploitation occurring in the aided sector for decades?

Archbishop and Patron

After serving as the first Bishop of Kanjirappally from 1977 to 1985, Mar Joseph Powathil returned to Changanacherry as Archbishop in 1985. In that capacity, he became the patron of S. B. College and from 2007 till demise in 2023 was Archbishop emeritus, thus continued to influence its development for a total of five decades.

Resisting the Commercialisation of Higher Education

The opening of higher education to private investment in the early 2000s marked another turning point in Kerala. Engineering and medical colleges proliferated, and many religious organisations viewed such institutions as symbols of prestige and financial security.

Several Christian dioceses established engineering colleges, medical colleges, or both. Changanacherry, however, adopted a markedly different approach.

A Personal Recollection

The difference was illustrated in a memorable incident. Rev. Fr. Gregory Paruvaparambil, then Procurator (Finance Controller) of the Changanacherry Archdiocese, convened a meeting to discuss whether the archdiocese should establish an engineering or medical college. I was among those present.

While the discussion was underway, Mar Powathil returned from an external engagement and was walking along the veranda toward his room. Hearing the conversation, he glanced into the meeting room and remarked, “If you want to do business, go ahead.”

The meeting ended shortly afterwards, and with it any serious consideration of such a venture. His position on the matter could not have been clearer.

The Lourdes Matha Experience

The Lourdes Matha group of institutions in Thiruvananthapuram represents a partial exception to this broader approach. In 2002, a group of retired government employees belonging to Lourdes Forane Church formed a trust to establish an engineering college and requested permission to name Mar Joseph Powathil as its patron.

The institution later encountered serious financial difficulties. In 2019, despite reservations expressed by some observers, including the author, the diocese assumed responsibility for the institution. Since then, substantial resources have been required to repay liabilities and stabilise operations.

The experience illustrates many of the concerns that Mar Powathil had consistently expressed regarding the financial and managerial risks associated with large-scale educational ventures.

Private Universities

Even before recent legislative developments made private universities a reality in Kerala, proposals for private university status were periodically discussed.

Mar Joseph Powathil’s response remained consistent. He believed that the aided-college model, which had enabled broad access to quality higher education, should not be abandoned in pursuit of university status. In his view, the drive toward private universities often reflected institutional ambition and commercial expansion rather than genuine educational necessity.

His reservations mirrored the concerns he had expressed earlier regarding engineering and medical colleges: education should serve society first, not become a vehicle for commercial gain.

The Moral Legacy of Mar Joseph Powathil

Mar Joseph Powathil’s enduring contribution to S. B. College lies not merely in the offices he held but in the values he embodied. Throughout half-a-century association with the institution, HG championed integrity in administration, fairness in appointments, financial responsibility, and resistance to the commercialisation of education.

At a time when many educational institutions were increasingly influenced by considerations of prestige, expansion, and revenue generation, HG consistently argued that education was a public trust and a social responsibility. That conviction helped shape the moral identity of S. B. College and earned it a credibility that distinguished it from many of its contemporaries.

At Crossroad: desert or emphasis moral legacies

The story of Mar Joseph Powathil and S. B. College is ultimately a story about the relationship between leadership and values. Institutions endure not merely because they possess buildings, programmes, or financial resources, but because they are guided by principles that command public trust. For more than fifty years, Mar Joseph Powathil served as one of the principal custodians of those values at S. B. College.

His legacy therefore extends beyond remembrance or tribute. It poses an enduring question not just to S B College, but  to all educational institutions today: whether they will continue to view education as a social mission grounded in integrity and service, or allow it to be shaped primarily by market forces and commercial considerations. The relevance of his example lies precisely in that challenge. In an era when higher education faces new pressures and temptations, the values HG upheld remain as important as ever.