New Delhi, October 26
The early ’70s gave birth to an institution which has now been recognised as the leading school in the Capital for Sikh students. Under the patronage of Jathedar Santok Singh, the first Guru Harkrishan Public School (GHPS) began its first classes in a rented kothi belonging to a rani (queen) from the land of five rivers, Punjab. The school was named after the eighth Guru.
Located near the historic India Gate, GHPS grew to become part of the history of Delhi itself. The rented premises were soon purchased and gradually branches of the school began coming up in the city.
“Jathedar Santok Singh wanted to admit his son in a Christian school. However, since he belonged to the Sikh community, his son was denied admission. That is when he decided to open institutions for the Sikhs,” recalled Mr Harinder Pal Singh, member of the Shiromani Gurdwara Prabhandhak Committee (SGPC).
The Capital now boasts of 11 GHPSs, each with a separate identity, yet unified under the umbrella of the vision Santok Singh had envisaged.
The schools begin their day with traditional prayers. Each school has a mini gurdwara where the ardas is recited. Apart from the regular curriculum, the schools also do their bit in imparting religious teachings. For students up to class nine, there is a compulsory subject called Divinity that imparts moral values to the students. Each school has a separate governing body nominated by the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC).
The schools, which were started with a specific purpose and have done reasonably well, are facing rough weather today. Financial losses and decreasing standard of education are two of the problems that have surfaced in the recent past. Insiders blame the interference by members of the DSGMC for the afflictions of the schools.
“Ever since the members of the committee started pulling the strings, the institution has been suffering,” pointed out Mr Harinder Pal Singh. Elaborating on his views, he said: “Earlier, there were professional men who were entrusted with the functioning of the institution. These were men of integrity and vision, but now there are important posts like that of the Chairman being occupied by people who are not even qualified. Forget higher education, these people are just about literate, with some being high school pass outs.”
A former MP, Prof Prem Singh Chandumajra, seconds these views. “The interference by the committee members should immediately end. There should be some accountability in the whole system,” he said.
The DSGMC has allegedly completely sidelined the Education Council, which had been set up with a purpose to keep a tab on the functioning of the various governing bodies. “The Education Council has been set up to eradicate the shortcomings of the system. Its constitution has been drafted, but is yet to be adopted by the DSGMC. The committee is shying away because it will mean clipping its own power,” Dr Jaspal Singh, former High Commissioner and Principal of Guru Gobind Singh College of Commerce, said. He has resigned from the council.
“I resigned from the council because it is not legally constituted. The constitution, which I had drafted along with a few others, is yet to be cleared by the DSGMC. I wrote to the head of the DSGMC to speed up the passing of the resolution, but he has still not responded. Unless the constitution is approved by the governing body, it is a waste paper,” said Justice Jaspal Singh.
On the better side, many still have hope and believe that once the interference from the DSGMC members stops, the schools will redeem their glory.
“The trust is rich enough to sustain changes and additions in the infrastructure, which will enhance the quality of education in these schools. At present, the services being provided by the schools are no less than any other public school in Delhi. It is perhaps this reason why parents still prefer to enroll their children in these schools. And with time, things will only improve,” said Justice Jaspal Singh.
