The popularity of Simultala residential school - chief minister Nitish Kumar's dream project on the lines of the Netarhat residential school in Jharkhand - appears to be on the wane.
Irregular entrance tests, lack of facilities and growing indiscipline are coming in the way of attracting students to this institution, also called Simultala Awasiya Vidyalaya. In the year of its inception, when entrance test was conducted for just Class VI in 2010, the school received over 35,000 applications. This year, when tests for classes VI, VII and IX are being held, the school has received less than 20,000 applications. On the recommendation of a six-member committee constituted by the state education department last year, the school agreed to hold entrance tests for the three classes, as there was no admission in 2013 and 2016; both sessions were declared zero sessions. The Bihar School Examination Board (BSEB) issued an advertisement on January 15 inviting applications for admission. The school received 11,811 applications for Class VI, 4,130 for Class VII and 3,348 for Class IX, after extending the last date for application twice.
"The school is losing its sheen, at least in terms of number of applicants," said a former senior administrative member of the school on condition of anonymity. He blamed irregular academic sessions, which often get delayed.
Undivided Bihar boasted of the Netarhat residential school, which went to Jharkhand when it was carved out in 2000. The government had since been planning to start another school on the lines of Netarhat.
Every year, the Simultala school admits 120 students (60 boys and 60 girls) with academic sessions starting from the first week of April.
"This year too we expect the academic session to get delayed, as the school has to conduct a three-tier admission process (preliminary, mains and medical)," said the former official. BSEB, which is conducting the entrance test, is yet to issue a date for the test. "The test's date will be finalised after completion of Intermediate examination," BSEB chairman Anand Kishor said. The Intermediate exams conclude on February 25.
Irregular academic session apart, lack of infrastructure and shortage of teachers are other factors ailing the school. "There is shortage of teachers and infrastructure, but we are confident of streamlining it soon," school principal Rajiv Ranjan said.
Situated in Jamui district, about 230km east of Patna, the school runs from a rented bungalow.
It had come up with great expectations, to provide students from rural background an opportunity to study in a residential school equipped with facilities at par with private residential schools. The first batch of students, who sat for Class X exams in 2015, delivered good results. Thirty of the 31 students who made it to the top 10 in the 2015 matriculation exams were from Simultala residential school.
