Welcome to our St.Johns Special School
St. John’s Training and Rehabilitation Centre for Exceptional Children Kottappady Special School has started its services in 2004 towards differently abled children living at several locations in Ernakulam District. The school, which runs under the auspices of Dharmagiri Vikas Society Social and Family Welfare Centre, Thankalam. (Kothamangalam Taluk, Ernakulam District). The Society Registered under the The Travancore-Cochin Literary, Scientific and Charitable Societies Registration Act, 1955. It has been on the road of service for many years for deprived, bewildered and orphaned in the community. At the same time, the centre performs as rehabilitation centre for people who are suffering from plethora of problems in their daily life, especially girl children.
Dharmagiri Vikas offers a list of services based on community such as Credit union, Nursery schools at different locations, St. Mary’s Home for the aged, Swadhar Shelter Home, Working women hostel, Legal assistance and literacy, Leadership training, Self Help Groups, Child Care Institutions, Home nursing services, Counselling services, Educational training programmes, Community based activities, Health centre, and Vocational Training.
To share the compassionate of Christ to the suffering humanity to facilitate healing and wholeness.
To be contemplative in action by joyfully serving the disabled and marginalized with compassion to bring about healing and wholeness
Servant of God Fr. Joseph C Panjikaran (The Founder of Dharmagiri Assemblage) had a vision in 1944 about the people who were vulnerably suffering from many illness and infant mortality due to lack of malnutrition and far flung epidemics in the community. It took many of lives. Most of these problems were seen among people in low economic stratum. Thus, Fr. Joseph received a vision to establish a group of solicitous minded people to look after the society. Whereas he failed in forming such group because of the inefficient service mind of members, eventually, he requested the services of some nuns to his vision and established an assemblage named Medical sisters of St. Joseph. After that, he initiated to open a hospital with these nuns according to the situations and climates surrounded in the society. Later the hospital came to be called St. Joseph’s Dharmagiri Hospital. It was the first ever hospital in Syro Malabar Synod.
As we discussed the school started in 2004 January 31st at Kottappady with 8 children. Till the year 2004, the place where the school is now was a hospital of Dharmagiri St Joseph. Why the hospital converted in to school because as the surroundings changed soon, many developmental action plans came over and executed by the governing parties, hence many hospitals with extra upgraded treatment facilities started to exist at every nook and corner in Kothamangalam taluk and Ernakulam District. So that, according to the societal needs we planned to begin a special school instead the clinic because we identified some children around are with disabilities, they also should come to the society and live an inclusive life. Thus, the dream to start a special school came true.
