Proud Navodaya alumni reminisce golden days in school

Dharamsala, August 25

The Kangra district administration has an appreciable number of officers who are alumni of Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas (JNVs), credited to country’s former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi’s vision in mid-1980s.

Deputy Commissioner Kangra Hemraj Bairwa (IAS), Dausa in Rajasthan, Commissioner Dharamsala Municipal Corporation Zafar Iqbal (IAS)-J&K, Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Dinesh Sharma, Sarol Chamba, District Public Relations Officer (DPRO) Vinay Sharma, Hamirpur, Regional Transport Officer (RTO) Pradeep Kumar-Theog, Subhash Gautam AC to DC Kangra-Theog, Veer Bhahadur ASP Kangra-Pandoh in Mandi are all Navodaya alumni currently holding prominent positions in the district administration.

There are many others like Dr Praveen Thakur ortho-surgeon in a Dharamsala hospital, Dr Vishal Sood, secretary to VC at Central University of Himachal Pradesh who too are pass-outs from Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas.

All of them have fond memories of their times spent in these residential schools. Most of them completed Class XII after seeking admission in class VI. While talking to The Tribune each one of these officers gave the entire credit for their achievement in life and the position they hold at present to their alma mater, JNV, which, according to them, has gone a long way in shaping their personality.

Hemraj Bairwa, DC Kangra, who studied at Navodaya school in Dausa, Rajasthan, from 1997 to 2004 counts three unique features of these schools which make these different. He said the entrance on merit provides the invaluable sense of achievement and pride among the students, the elaborate end-to-end facilities prove a big support to the students, especially from the weaker sections and lastly the dedicated human and material back-up in the shape of outstanding and committed teachers, making these institutions unique.

There is a general consensus among all of them that these schools have been a springboard to get to the places where they are at present. Calling these complete schools, all of them are of the unanimous view that these schools are the best available platforms, particularly for children coming from rural backgrounds. It is interesting to note that all the alumni placed globally still interact as a commune helping each other @Navodaya family (worldwide). There are 1,40,000 members in the group all over the world.

In the present times when the state government and the Chief Minister are taking bold initiatives for the betterment of education, the Navodaya model could be the torch-bearer. Government schools that seem to have become unviable are facing closure, as now quality is considered over quantity.

Similarly, government-run colleges are struggling for admissions to their regular undergraduate courses. The state of hopelessness has seen Himachal Pradesh slip to 18th rank in quality education as per the National Institutional Ranking Framework.

Experts feel that in these circumstances, the government should rely on the model probably existing in the shape of 12 Navodaya schools, one each in every district of the state which has stood the test of time.

Platform to rise in life

There is a general consensus among the alumni that these schools have been a springboard to get to the places where they are at present. Calling these complete schools, all of them are of the unanimous view that these schools are the best available platforms, particularly for children coming from rural backgrounds