More seats at boarding schools
Ranchi, Nov. 2: The government is thinking of increasing the number of seats in two residential schools of Jharkhand ? Netarhat School and Indira Gandhi Ucch Vidyalaya, Hazaribagh ? in a bid to attract students from neighbouring states who make a beeline for institutions in other parts of the country.
The government has proposed to increase the number of seats from 75 to 100 at Indira Gandhi Ucch Vidyalaya and from 100 to 150 at Netarhat residential school.
At present, the total strength of Netarhat school is 550, while Indira Gandhi Ucch Vidyalaya has 300 students. Both schools take in students from Class VI onwards. ?The state government is considering increasing about 50 seats in two residential schools, Indira Gandhi Ucch Vidhaylay, Hazaribagh, and at Netarhat residential school,? human resource development minister Pashupatinath Singh said.
Admissions to three prestigious residential schools of the state were suspended in 2001 and 2002 following non-payment of Bihar?s share amounting to Rs 12 crore. The Jharkhand government had said students from the parent state would not be granted admission in these residential schools, unless the Bihar government cleared the dues. The admissions were resumed in 2003 after Bihar students were banned entry into the schools.
Singh said: ?I am not averse to the idea of developing the schools on a par with those elsewhere in the country but for that the existing system has to be overhauled. The hostels, library and number of seats have to be increased. We have allotted a sum of Rs 2 crore to Netarhat residential school for the development of infrastructure.?
He said that to attract more students from outside the state, the government is also trying to increase the hostel capacity by 500 at Indira Gandhi Ucch Vidyalaya.
The minister acknowledged that law and order remained a concern, especially for the Netarhat school, which is located in Naxalite terrain. ?But the government is trying to solve the problem,? he said.
The principals said the government is welcome to increase the number of seats provided it ensures the requisite infrastructure. ?We are not against the decision but the government should also provide us with adequate infrastructure,? said Indira Gandhi Ucch Vidyalaya principal Ananda Devi.
Principal of Netarhat school Vinod Karn further said increasing the number of seats in the residential schools is entirely the policy matter of the government. Former principal of Netarhat school Narendra Prasad said if basic facilities were upgraded, the institution had the potential to attract students from all over the country.
Bihar education minister Ram Prakash Mahto said the government would pay up the Rs 12 crore it owed as its share for running the three schools. In a letter to the Jharkhand government last year, the Union human resource development ministry had said seats in the three institutions would be divided in proportion to the population of the twin states. Accordingly, 75 per cent of the seats would go to Bihar and the remaining 25 per cent to Jharkhand.
But since November 2000, when the new state was formed, Jharkhand has been bearing the cost of the schools on its own. ?No doubt, the cream of students from all over the country would flock to the school if the facilities and infrastructure are improved,? he said.