Individual Impressions About the Present State of Netarhat School

This is in continuation of my previous blog 'Netarhat Revisited After 50 years'.

After having thoroughly enjoyed our five-day memorable reunion and after having touched reverentially the school campus, it was felt by our group to share our feelings, experiences and thoughts, as perceived, with the NOBA fraternity at large. The group authorised me to do so on its behalf and I took this responsibility with a sense of privilege and humility.

The group was keen to place on record the impression of each member after having visited the school campus and after having spent the day with the members of the school family. I need to mention here that I was permitted by our group to collect 'Impression of each member' and compile them to be presented. While recording their ' Impressions' the members weren't swayed by any undue emotions, basically with a view to be able to do so rather dispassionately and to ensure that their inner feelings were truly recorded and reflected as such. Based on these inputs I am presenting the impressions of each member in a manner as follows:

1. Brig. (Retd.) Narendra Prasad Singh: "I couldn't quite connect myself with the school family."
2. Shri Thakur Rameshwar Prasad Singh: "I have a similar feeling as Brig. Narendra's….however, I may say that the traditions continue to be maintained."
3. Dr Brajendra K Jha: "I found lack of good leadership, team spirit among staff members led by Principal – much left to be desired."
4. Shri Satyanarayan Prasad: "Adequate facilitation by Principal for interaction with teachers, students and with school family was not done….this was quite contrary to my expectations before descending on Netarhat."
5. Shri Vidyasagar Pandey: "Good discipline….traditions maintained. Infrastructure facilities gave a poor impression, however, what I had perceived earlier, it was present in body and soul."
6. Dr Gyaneshwari Prasad: "Before starting I had no preconceived idea. But after arriving, I found infrastructure, the physical appearance of Ashrams and roads leading to them have significantly deteriorated. Bathrooms, shanks have deteriorated to the extent that they have become unhygienic, the morale of teachers have further deteriorated, various classrooms and labs not up to the mark, the library is not of its known standard of the past. About students – no comments as no occasion for interactions with them were there."
7. Shri S S Lachchiramka: "I had expected that during the last 50 years, there would have been a vast improvement in every sphere of activities of the school and would be comparable to any top educational institution of India. After my visit, I am very much disappointed to observe that everything was in very bad shape. My observations are as follows: a. there is a lack of cleanliness everywhere. The living conditions of students in ashrams are very very bad c. the quality of the meal being served is not up to the mark d. the conditions of the library, classrooms, laboratories and other infrastructure are very very bad and require immediate improvement and e. the present appearances of the teaching staff were found to be not very much appealing, this may hamper the all-round development of the students."
8. Dr Awadh Kishore Prasad: "School has gone to the lowest pit. For an optimist like me, optimism regarding school is becoming thinner while I compare it with other good schools at Ranchi and elsewhere. The atmosphere in ashrams not lively….talking of only some 2200+ candidates taking this year's entrance test for Netarhat School for 100 available seats is unfairly subjected to criticism as, to my mind, looking at the present condition the school is in, it doesn't deserve more than this."
9. Dr Ratneshwar Mishra: "I felt both good and bad after this visit….good, because I visited the same environment after decades….bad, because apart from a few teachers, the rest didn't appear upto the mark. Principal, though sincere, appeared to be under pressure with a host of problems confronting him. Ashrams of 5th set in deplorable conditions, bathrooms and toilets are poorly maintained, teachers appeared indulging in politics! The saving grace is that the students are good."
10. Shri Narendra Bhagat: "I found that the Principal and his team of teaching and non-teaching staff members not on the same page as the autonomous 'Netarhat Vidyalaya Samiti' is – a body registered under the Societies Registered Act since Dec. 2009. Instead, they appeared not quite reconciled yet to the fact that the change over from an earlier status as a purely govt. school to that of a 'Samiti' administered institution is somewhat irreversible. Such an attitude on their part seems intriguing and rather unintelligible, particularly since total govt. budgetary support for this school may continue as before, with an additional option now wide open for any individual/s, agencies, associations etc. to come to its assistance voluntarily in cash or kind or both. It is this attitudinal mindset on the part of the Principal and his team that seems to be posing problems in more ways than one for Netarhat School to move forward, if I may say so."
11. Shri Paras Nath Singh: "I was utterly disappointed to see the existing conditions of the school. In fact, I could not connect it with the old school which we had left. The institution needs total overhauling."
12. Shri Prayag Dubey – NOBA 7th batch – Observer: "Traditions were found to be maintained. Ashrams in 2nd set – cleanliness overall satisfactory. Prem Ashram, in the midst of all, appeared to be on a better footing in terms of discipline and its maintenance level. The standard of the cultural evening programme, however, was short of expectations."

The above impressions of the group, in general, may inevitably surprise and shock many in the first place. But then, that's the way things are today. However, there may be the difference in perceptions that our group had with the ones that many other members of the NOBA fraternity and / or members of the school family may be having. Members of our group, at their respective locations, therefore, would be only too willing to interact with those keen on having clarifications and elaborations of the points as noted in our 'Impressions'.

While closing this report, in the back of my mind the overall impressions of our group, I'm inclined to reiterate the saying: 'If things can't get any worse, they get better'.

Hope, a turn around for our alma mater starts now.