Is the Railway Mixed High School, the 50-year-old reputed school, on the verge of closure? Going by the recent indications and observations by railway officials, the closure seems imminent. The school, situated at the loco colony, has already brought the shutters down on Classes I and II and lack of patronage from parents is crippling the very existence of the school that was regarded an elite one in 60s, 70s and 80s.
A few decades ago the school was considered the best, both in education and in extracurricular activities, after Nirmala High School and Atkinson High School in Vijayawada.
“In the sixth pay commission, the railway ministry sanctioned Rs. 15,000 per annum as fee reimbursement up to intermediate for two children. It has also sanctioned Rs. 45,000 per annum for those studying in residential schools. These reimbursement facilities are the root cause for parents spurning railway schools,” said Mr. Swamy Charan, Divisional Secretary, SCR Mazdoor Sangh. Some members of the teaching staff were shifted to other departments like accounts and commercial on the pretext of surplus staff.
‘Stem the rot'
“If this trend (poor patronage) continues the day is not far away when the school may be closed permanently. Instead of letting it die naturally, the authorities should revive it by turning it into a residential school by offering hostel facilities to the students. This effort to some extent would stem the rot,” felt Railway Mixed High School principal M. Lakshmi Narayana.
‘Status symbol'
He said that many parents thought that it was a ‘status symbol' to educate their wards in corporate schools. “Our school has the best of teaching faculty and laboratory. We are no way inferior to corporate schools”, he observed.
Mr. Charan said that it was unfortunate the Railway Board was treating education as non-core segment. “The board has a step-motherly treatment towards non-core segment that do not generate income to Indian Railways. Adding education in the category was unfortunate,” he added. He said Government's decision to open more number of central schools was also a factor for the imminent closure of railway schools.
The first railway school to enter the history books was the Satyanarayanapuram Railway Mixed Telugu Medium School a decade ago owing to poor patronage by parents.
