West Bengal’s chief minister has invited Jesuit-run St Xavier’s college in Kolkata to become a university in its own right.

Mamata Banerjee said if the renowned college decided to seek university status, the state government would help it achieve its aim.

“I want to see St Xavier’s as the first autonomous university in this state,” Banerjee told 1,800 students, parents and staff at a graduation ceremony on January 20.

She invited Suranjan Das, the vice-chancellor of the University of Calcutta, under which the Jesuit college awards its degrees, to initiate the process.

The chief minister said she was studying the possibility of allotting land for the expansion of the college and would work in consultation with its principal Father John Felix Raj.

Das said the college “deserves to be upgraded” to the level of a university.

The 151-year-old college, which was founded by Belgian Jesuits, offers 16 graduate and 5 post-graduate courses.

It is considered by many as one of the top 10 colleges in the country, according to Fr Raj.

Related link:

CALCUTTA UNIVERSITY HONORS NONAGENARIAN JESUIT MISSIONER EDUCATIONIST