Ranchi, June 1: A school that topped the state merit list in last year’s secondary examination has come under Jharkhand Academic Council (JAC) scanner for alleged malpractice.

Of the 106 students who took the examination from Netarhat Residential High School in Latehar, only three appeared on the result list announced by JAC this morning.

The results of the remaining 103 have been withheld on charges of interpolation, a suspicion raised by the use of whitener on answer sheets.

An inquiry committee is currently investigating the papers, JAC chairman Laxmi Singh told The Telegraph. She said they were trying to complete the probe as soon as possible and those found guilty of interpolation would be failed.

Former principal of the school K.S. Prasad reasoned that the matric admit card did not specify that whitener was banned.

But the JAC chairperson pointed out that admit cards strictly disapproved of malpractice.

“So, besides pencil, rubber and pen, everything is banned,” she said.

The council has also withheld the results of 116 students of Netarhat Public School on similar charges.

“Since students from Netarhat Residential High School appeared for their exam at Netarhat Public School and vice versa, it is likely that officials of both cradles employed unfair means,” a JAC office-bearer said.

The Netarhat cradle had come into existence in 1952 and is among reputable institutions in Bihar-Jharkhand. This is the first such incident of ignominy in the history of the school, which had sent five students to the top 10 list of matriculation last year.

So, why is the school, built on the gurukul concept, losing its glory?

State HRD minister Baidyanath Ram evaded a direct reply. “It is one of the state’s priorities... We are trying to improve it (read functioning of the school),” he said.

He hastily added: “Rather than criticising this school, we should acknowledge the feat of Indira Gandhi Balika High School, Hazaribagh.”

However, Prasad, the former principal who has been associated with the Netarhat cradle from 1958 to 1992, said government apathy was taking a toll on performance.

Prasad, who is also on the school’s executive committee formed recently to draw up revival plans, said there had been no permanent principal since 1984.

He claimed students were not being groomed properly because teachers were not being paid well. Besides, out of the 27 sanctioned posts of teachers, only 16 had been filled.

“The library is crumbling and is not well-stocked. How can one increase one’s knowledge? Workshops are not conducted in the school and so students lack exposure,” Prasad pointed out.

According to professor-in-charge Ram Naresh Prasad Singh, the quality of students had taken a beating.

“Earlier 24,000 candidates used to take the entrance test, but nowadays barely 2,000 come forward,” he said.