Educationalist Dr Mani Jacob passes away

Dr. Mani Jacob, general secretary of the All India Association for Christian Higher Education (AIACHE), passed away on Tuesday at St. Stephen's Hospital in New Delhi.

A funeral service will be held at St. Mary's Orthodox Church today after which the body will be taken to Kottayam, Kerala.

The National Council of Churches in India (NCCI) in a statement said it was saddened to learn of the demise of Dr. Jacob, and extended its deepest sympathy to members of the family.

"A leading educationist Dr. Mani Jacob, among other things, will be remembered for his initiative in the growth of AICHE as a leading organisation of Christian Higher Education representing the educational institutions of the Protestant, Orthodox and Roman Catholic Churches in India," Rev. Dr. Roger Gaikwad, general secretary of the NCCI, said.

"Through his leadership AIACHE has carved a niche for itself and ventured into several new initiatives such as that of Women's Education and the formation of All India Council of Christian Studies (AICCS)," he added.

Dr. Jacob is widely recognised for his life-long concern for the empowerment of children, youth and adults through education. He was the Chancellor of Sam Higginbottom Institute of Agriculture, Technology & Sciences, Allahabad.

Born on August 28, 1943, in Kerala, Dr. Jacob was awarded Dr AM Varkey Memorial Gold Medal by the University of Kerala for coming first in the BA examination.

After his MA in English Language and Literature, he received his doctoral degree in Education from the M.S University, Baroda in the year 1989 for his study of "Educational Innovations in Higher Education".

Waynesburg College, Pennsylvania, USA conferred honorary degree of Doctor of Humane Letters on him in recognition of his lifetime service to higher education.

Further in 2009, Karunya University, Coimbatore honoured him by an Honorary Doctorate Degree for his services to education and society.