Ajmer, Rajasthan (April 21, 2014): According to a news reported by Times of India (TOI): [s]ix private schools in the city which were started sixty years ago for Sikh minority girls are now closed down. These schools provided merits to Ajmer for long twenty years. The school was bliss for poor families who wanted to provide qualitative education to their daughters. The reason- state government appointed administrator in these schools in 2006 and condition at present of these schools went worse than government schools.
The state government made promises for qualitative education to girl child but there is no certain policies for those schools which are closing down by the interference of education department, “We are again demanding from state government to hand over these schools to us as we made them best for long sixty years” said Charan Jeet Singh Obrai, secretary of Shri Gurunanak educational society.
There was a time when schools of this society were in demand because of real nominal fees and qualitative education with secure atmosphere for girls. The society started these schools Shri Guru Nanak Balika senior secondary school Hathibhata, Shri Guru Nanak Kanya secondary school Hathibhata, Shri Gurunanak primary school Nagra, Shri Guru Nanak public school Vaishali Nagar, Shri Guru Nanak Secondary School Vaishali Nagar, Shri Guru Nanak Bal Nari Hathi Bhata and Shri Guru Nanak Public school (Hindi medium). There were about ten thousand students who were getting education in these schools
At present only Shri Guru Nanak secondary schoom in Vaishali Nagar is working with the strength of only 250 grils which was 16 hundred in 2006. “There was a time when mostly lower income and even medium income families tried hard to to get admission in these schools because of their results” said Mohan Lal Kumawat of Agara gate.
These schools flourished at the time when missionary schools were costly and government schools were struggling to get passing percentage, “My daughter studied in this school and got first class in board exams when we left hope that she will continue her studies” said Rajendra Singh Rathore of Shastri Nagar.
As the dispute in the society erupted in 2006 and allegation were made on each other, the matter went to the education department which recommended the matter to state government. The state government deputed administrator till the new elections of the society, “But elections never held in last eight years and it result that not only six schools are closed completely but senior secondary school of Vaishali Nagar is going to close down.
The problem with state government is that to maintain the school in its form, “When the school was working well, we provide uniform to best five girls of the school as award” said a readymade merchant of the city. Looking to the quality of these schools, even industrialists and businessmen came forward to construct extra class rooms and infrastructure to the society.
But now people who remembered thse Gurunanak society schools are turning to other schools as they have no teachers, no proper class rooms and no education, “We have written to Vasundhra government in the interest of girls students to conduct election of the society and hand over these schools back to them so that they can again retain the prestige of the past” added Obrai. He added that there was a time when these schools provided education even free of cost to poor children. “We are hoping that chief minister Vasundhra Raje will do something in this matter” further said Obrai.
Meanwhile education department has not yet decided about these schools and said that they will follow the orders of the state government, “Our duty is to report o government and follow the instruction. The government deputed administrator on these schools of our officials” said Suresh Chand Sharma district secondary education officer.
Source: “Six Sikh girls’ schools closed down in Ajmer” (by Kshitiz Gaur), originally published at Times of India (TOI).