Six Sikh Girls Schools Closed Down In Ajmer

File Photo
File Photo

AJMER, Rajasthan, India—Six 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 twenty long years. The schools were bliss for poor families who wanted to provide qualitative education for their daughters. The reason for the shutdown is since the appointment of a state government administrator in 2006, the present condition of these private schools has become worse than government schools.

The state government made promises for qualitative education for girls, but there is no certain policies for those schools which are closing down due to the interference of education department, “We are again demanding the state government to hand over these schools to us as we made them the best for long sixty years,” said Charan Jeet Singh Obrai, secretary of Shri Gurunanak educational society.

There was a time when the schools of this society were in demand because of real nominal fees, and a qualitative education with a 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 receiving an education in these schools.

At present only Shri Guru Nanak secondary school in Vaishali Nagar remains open with an enrollment of only 250 girls, down from 16 hundred in 2006. “There was a time when mostly lower income and even medium income, families tried hard to get admission in these schools because of their [anticipated] 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 a passing percentage, “My daughter studied in this school and attained first class in her board exams. We are left with hope that she will continue her studies,” said Rajendra Singh Rathore of Shastri Nagar.

As the dispute in the society erupted in 2006, and allegations were made against each other, the matter went to the education department, which recommended the matter to state government. The state government deputed an administrator until the new elections of the society, “But elections were never held in last eight years, and the result is that not only six schools have closed, but the senior secondary school of Vaishali Nagar is going to close down.

The problem for the state, is to maintain the school in its form, “When the school was working well, we provided uniforms to best five girls of the school as award,” said a ready-made merchant of the city. Looking at the quality of these schools, even industrialists, and businessmen came forward to construct extra class rooms and add infrastructure to the society.

But now people who remembered these Guru Nanak society schools are turning to [help] other schools as these now have no teachers, no proper class rooms, and [consequently] no education, “We have written to Vasundhra government in the interest of girls students to conduct an election of the society and hand these schools back to them so that they can regain the prestige of the past,” said Obrai. He remarked that there was a time when these school seven provided education free of cost to poor children. “We are hoping that chief minister Vasundhra Raje will do something in this matter,” Obrai added.

Meanwhile education department has not yet decided what to do about these schools, and said that they will follow the orders of the state government, “Our duty is to report to the government and follow their instructions. The government deputed administrator of these schools is one of our officials,” said Suresh Chand Sharma, the district secondary education officer.

 

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