Education in the South Kanara District became organized with the advent of foreign missionaries, chiefly the Basel Mission and the Jesuits. When Jesuits landed in Mangalore on 27th Sept. 1878, purely for the purpose of education, they found the people receptive and intelligent.

With their arrival, education in the district took a different turn and was completely organized. A number of schools sprang up by the side of village churches, with priests taking keen interest in imparting education. The Madras Presidency, to which South Kanara belonged, supported private institutions with financial aid to run the schools.

The personal work of each priest in his village was consolidated by the ever-watchful eye of the Bishop of Mangalore, who provided guidance, help, and enthusiasm.

The Catholic Board of Education was formed in the year 1932 by Rt. Rev. Dr. V.R. Fernandes, the then Bishop of Mangalore, to bring all the parish schools under one organization.

The first meeting of the Board was held at the Bishop’s House on 26th July 1932, with the Bishop as President. Rev. Msgr. R.F.C. Mascarenhas was the first Manager/Secretary of the Board.

In the year 1956, on October 6th, the Board was registered as a Society under the Societies Act with the object of promoting good and sound education in the Diocese, open to all without discrimination of caste, creed, or community.

Though in the beginning we had only Aided Kannada Medium Schools, gradually English Medium Un-Aided Schools were opened and registered. At present, we have 100+ institutes registered under the Catholic Board of Education.

Recently, some of our Aided Kannada Medium Schools have closed due to a lack of student strength and insufficient government support to appoint aided teachers. Our institutions are now preparing to implement the National Education Policy – 2020.