It is easy to miss this heritage building on a regular stroll on the Beach Promenade.
A high wall conceals the building from pedestrians. This predominantly French architecture-styled building offers a spectacular view of the beachfront from its first floor.
Pensionnat De Jeunes Filles (Government Girls French High School) is today India’s only French girls’ high school run by the government.
Quite a few films have been shot on its campus, including the acclaimed Life of Pi . Unfortunately, in real life, the school is a pale shadow of its former glory.
The painting on its colonnaded portico is flaking off, and its teak staircase is covered with dust. Creepers have made deep cracks on the walls their home. Many of the classrooms, designed with tall arched double doors, have only one door that looks like it will come off its hinges any time. The wooden louvered shutter of a few windows is broken.
The first floor of the two-storey main building has been closed for two years after a rafter from the roof caved in. The roof now has supporting structures put up by INTACH (The Indian National Trust For Art and Cultural Heritage, a non-profit organisation set up in 1984). During rains, there is heavy seepage on the walls, say parents and teachers.
“The school is in urgent need of maintenance. It is a historical building, more than 180 years old. We must respect the donor Ms. Smith’s wish that this building should always serve as a school for girls,” says headmaster Gandhi.
The school has classes from kindergarten (Maternelle section) up to Standard X (Brevet Superieur) with around 200 students and 20 teachers.
Senior teacher P.P. Manoj says that despite the number of students declining in government schools, the enrolment of 46 students at Pensionnat is a healthy sign.
With two rooms locked up with old equipment from the School Education Department and another school, and the first floor dysfunctional, some of the classes are held on the verandah.
“Puducherry is known for its heritage buildings. How can you allow them to crumble? Do we wake up only when something goes wrong?” asks Nallam, president of the Friends of Pondicherry Heritage.
While there is no imminent danger of collapse, restoration must be taken up as soon as possible because long years of neglect have taken their toll, says Ajit Koujalgi, co-convener of INTACH. “Once restored, it can be an iconic building of Puducherry,” he says.
“We send our children in fear every day. I tell my daughter not to touch the walls. With the poor maintenance, they could get an electric shock,” says S. Suganthi, a parent.
“Though the 1956 Treaty of Cession between France and India said French education must be continued here, the French school is run in such a way that the students are discouraged to join. Facilities are poor with no playground equipment and inadequate books in the library,” says R. Sudandiranathan, another parent.
In the 1980s, Pensionnat faced a different kind of danger when there was a proposal to demolish it to create space for a government building, says Murugesan, former Deputy Director of French Education.
There were protests, and parents and teachers submitted a petition to the government to preserve the structure. The then Lieutenant Governor, T.P. Tiwari, passed an order in 1984 to save the school from the bulldozer.
Glimmer of hopeAfter the Archaeological Survey of India conducted an assessment along with INTACH, it has been decided that the building be renovated and restored to its original form.
The ASI has clarified that it is safe for conducting classes, says E. Vallavan, Director of School Education.