Loyola School, Thiruvananthapuram
Loyola School, Thiruvananthapuram is a private Jesuit school for boys situated in a large, leafy campus in the suburb of Sreekariyam in Thiruvananthapuram (formerly, Trivandrum) city, in the Indian state of Kerala. The school serves students from upper kindergarten to higher secondary level. Students of Loyola are called Loyolites.
Founded in 1961, Loyola is owned by the Kerala province of the Society of Jesus. The nominal head of the school has always been a Jesuit priest with the title of 'Rector'. Often, the Rector is also the Principal of the Loyola College of Social Sciences, a post-graduate college that shares a common campus with the school. The executive head of the school has always been a Jesuit priest with the title of 'Principal'. The Principal manages the day-to-day activities of the school and is assisted by two Vice-Principals. The Rector and Principal of Loyola report to the Provincial (a senior Jesuit priest) of the Kerala province of the Society of Jesus.
Courses:
ICSE and ISC :
Loyola has been affiliated to the Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE), New Delhi since its founding. Initially, the school offered only the secondary level Indian Certificate of Secondary Education (ICSE) examination course. In 1991, Loyola began the higher secondary level Indian School Certificate (ISC) examination course, with the first ISC batch graduating in 1993. Typically, only those students who opted for the ICSE course in high school were placed in the ISC program after passing the ICSE examination, though exceptions were made for outstanding students from the SSLC stream as well as from other schools.
SSLC and HSC :
In the 1970s, Loyola began offering high school students the option of choosing the syllabus of the Government of Kerala in preparation for the Secondary School Leaving Certificate (SSLC) examination. When the Government of Kerala abolished the university affiliated Pre-Degree Course (PDC) and replaced it with the State Council for Educational Research and Training (SCERT) affiliated Higher Secondary Course (HSC), Loyola also adopted the newly introduced course as a higher secondary level option for students. Typically, those students who opted for the SSLC course in high school were automatically placed in the HSC program after passing the SSLC examination. In 2008, Loyola started phasing out the SSLC course, starting with the eighth standard. LENS, Loyola's student newsletter reported that poor demand was the reason for the phasing out of the SSLC course.
CBSE :
In the decade after 2000, Loyola started a separate Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) affiliated section in the same campus. Initially, only the secondary level CBSE course was offered, with the first tenth standard CBSE batch graduating in 2007. In 2008, Loyola added the higher secondary level CBSE course to its offerings, with the first twelfth standard CBSE batch expected to graduate in 2010.
Alumni
Alumni of Loyola are called ex-Loyolites or Loyola old boys. The school has an alumni association called Loyola Old Boys' Association (LOBA) that is part of the World Union of Jesuit Alumni.
