Administrative neglect hits Ranbir school academically

Vikram Sharma

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Tribune News Service

Jammu, November 24

Government Sri Ranbir Higher Secondary School, the pioneer institution of Jammu and Kashmir, that once boasted of producing best students securing all top positions in the erstwhile state for many years is at present lagging behind due to administrative neglect.

The school has a history of bagging top positions between 1948 to 1965 when the results used to be declared by Jammu and Kashmir University.

“In 1950, the matriculation results produced all-time high 17 positions from Jammu region out of 20. I was also one among them. The trend was followed in later years also,” said Chander Mohan Kamotra, a retired physics professor.

He said during the years, school had the honour of having the best principals at the helm of affairs that painstakingly used to educate students and also provided them extra time for solving their problems and academic issues. Today, teaching had become a business which had lowered the quality of teachers as well as students.

He said the government had failed to come up with any other institution of such grandeur. Some colleagues of his time who secured different positions and served in the highest positions at different administrative, social and other fields either had passed away, while some others were living in foreign countries after retirement.ND Suri, RL Bhargotra, Tej Ram Khajuria, Inder Parkash are some of the principals of his time who served the institution from 1949 to 1963. There used to be a golden section also where bright students were picked up from different section and given special attention to groom them to the best of their potential. In the Commerce Block, Information Department ran for more than 10 years while in Tennis Hall Block, Radio Kashmir, Jammu, ran for more than 15 years. The institution also served as a base camp for Army for more than 7 years before it was shifted to Canal Road.

Vijya Sharma, Principal of the school, was not available for comment.

About the institution

• The school was founded by Dogra ruler Maharaja Ranbir Singh and was constructed by Raja Partap Singh before 1880. At that time, it had the privilege of being the first school of its kind in the state. 
• At the very outset, it was named as Jammu Collegiate School. Later, it was named after its founder Maharaja Ranbir School and called SRML Higher Secondary School (Sri Ranbir Multilateral Higher Secondary School).