Dr. S. Cletus Babu, Founder Chairman of the SCAD Group of Institutions, emerged as a social worker and started his rural development service at Cheranmahadevi in the year 1985. A well known social entrepreneur, educationalist and philanthropist, this versatile personality has been continuously striving to create a society based on social sensitivity, equality, justice and self sustainability.
The services of SCAD to education are enormous in magnitude whereby 17,000 rural children of 250 village schools have been assisted through the village educational programmes. It provides education to 2,500 children in 70 Preschools (Balwadis) with nutritional and medical care and 8 educational support. SCAD also established a residential school for Physically Challenged Children is functioning at SCAD, Cheranmahadevi Campus in Tirunelveli District where 90 children are being re-habilitated and another 900 children are covered under community-based rehabilitation. Keeping into growing number of child-labours in Tirunelveli region, SCAD has instituted a Special School for Child Labours at Melapalayam and Tharuvai– Tirunelveli District and founded a school for the Children of Saltpan Workers in Tuticorin District, educating about 300 children of poor
Saltpan Workers. Both initiatives are moot out with the intention to mitigate the socio-economic problems pertaining to child labours.
SCAD runs 5 Engineering Colleges at Tirunelveli, Cheranmahadevi, Vagaikulam and Palladam, 2 Polytechnic Colleges at Cheranmahadevi and Tharuvai, 2 Industrial Training Institutes at Cheranmahadevi and Vagaikulam, a Teacher training Institute at
Cheranmahadevi, a SCAD College of Education at Cheranmahadevi, a Special Teacher Training Institute-D.Ed at Ponnakudi, 1 IGCSE School at Palladam, 4 CBSE Schools at Chengalpattu, Palladam, Tirunelveli and Tuticorin, and a Matriculation School at Tirunelveli, besides 2 Special schools for differently abled children at Cheranmahadevi and Ponnakudi. The number of students studying in SCAD colleges is over 12,000, whereas the school students in studying SCAD schools are around 3,000 in different places all around Tamil Nadu. SCAD also functions as a Research Institute in Technical education and Management studies. So also Research activities are carried out in SCAD’s KVK (Krishi Vigyan Kendra) one of the biggest research centers in southern Tamilnadu in its various projects related to sustainable agriculture, horticulture, soil science, fisheries, effective microbes, water shed programmes and the like.
SCAD believes in development of youth through education and training which has resulted in the training of 25,000 youth under Modular Employability Skills and Mass Literacy Programs. It has been engaging in women empowerment through Skill cum Vocational Training programme such as tailoring, bags making embroidery and candle making units where 3,000 women have been benefited so far from this program. Having dedicated its services to the marginalized, SCAD runs a Special School for Gypsies (nomads) and 200 gypsy children are benefited each year.
Dr. Cletus Babu’s services have been well recognized by all sects of the society which has enabled him receive several honours and awards, including the prestigious “Government of Tamil Nadu Award for the Best Institution in recognition of exemplary service for Social Work and Disability Care 2015” by the Hon. Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, Dr. Selvi J. Jayalalithaa and the first edition of the ‘Abdul Kalam Seva Ratna Award’ in recognition of outstanding contribution towards reviving traditional water bodies from Tibet’s spiritual leader, His Holiness the Dalai Lama in 2015. ‘Education and Social Work Award 2016’ by Capital Foundation Of India New Delhi, in recognition of his exemplary service in the field of education and social work for 32 years. This award was presented to him by Prof. O. P. Kohli, Hon. Governor of Gujarat and prof Dr Veda Pragash Chairman UGC New Delhi on Saturday, 27th August 2016 at India International Centre, Lodhi Estate, New Delhi.