Netarhat Residential School

Netarhat Residential School
Main Building, Netarhat School "Atta Dipa Viharatha" - be thy own light'
Location
Netarhat,Near Ranchi  India
Information
Type	Public
Established	15th November 1954
Principal	Mr. Ramnaresh Singh
Grades	Classes VI - XII
Website	http://netarhatvidyalaya.com

Coordinates: 23°28′23″N 84°15′45″E / 23.47306°N 84.2625°E / 23.47306; 84.2625 (Netarhat Residential School) Netarhat Residential School (हिन्दी: नेतरहाट आवासीय विद्यालय) is a school in Netarhat, India. The school has a record of producing toppers of the Bihar School Examination Board year after year.[1]. After the creation of the state of Jharkhand in the year 2000, it comes under the purview of Jharkhand Board.The students of this school have also dominated the Regional Mathematics Olympiad and NTSE (National Talent Search Examination) conducted by NCERT. Students participate in inter-house and inter-set competitions and inter-school competitions.

History

Netarhat Residential School was established on 15 November 1954, after the independence of India for the people of state of Bihar.It was dream of the first chief minister of Bihar, Dr. Sri Krishna Sinha to establish centre of excellence,where young talented minds can be polished to shape future of country irrespective of their economic conditions, caste and creed. Educationist Mr. F. G. Pearce,Mr. Jagadish Chandra Mathur and Dr. Sachidanand Sinha had played a vital role in chalking out the plan for the Netarhat Residential School (or Netarhat Vidyalaya). Mr. Pearce had also received kudos from Dr. Rajendra Prasad, then the President of India for his works. [2]

Alumni

The alumni association is known as NOBA - Netarhat Old boys Association. There are chapters of NOBA and the members meet regularly.

Some notable alumni

Name	Designation
Dr. Vashistha Narayan Singh	Notable former mathematician, Faculty member ISI Kolkata, UC Berkley, IIT Kanpur, TIFR
Mr. Trinath Mishra	Director, Central Bureau of Investigation (Retired)
Mr. Pratyush Sinha	Central Vigilance Commissioner (Retired)
Mr. Paras Chowdhary	Managing Director, Ceat Ltd.
Mr. Anand Sinha	Deputy Governor, Reserve Bank of India
Mr. Raj Ballabh Singh	Worked at High Commission of India, Islamabad
Mr. Subodh Narayan Jha	Recipient of Raksha Mantri Award for Innovation 2006;Retired Director, (Midhani,Ministry of Defense Undertaking.)

Ambience

The school is situated far away from the busy life of town, on the plateau of Chhotanagpur, in the state of Jharkhand (undivided Bihar) in India. The whole atmosphere is based on Guru Kul - away from home, staying in Ashrams, simple and country made dress based on the Gandhian philosophy. The school has produced citizens who are following the motto of school Atta Dipa Viharatha - be thy own light. Great emphasis is laid on the all-round development (sarvangeen vikas) of the students. The brought up is such that discipline is self-induced rather than being enforced by the school authorities.

The guiding philosophy can be summarized by the following shloka in Sanskrit etched at the entrance of the main building of the school.
ना त्वहम् कामये राज्यम् ना स्वर्गम् ना पुनर्भवम् |
कामये दुःखतप्ताणाम् प्राणीणामार्त्ति नाशनाम् ||
(Oh Lord, I desire not kingdom nor the heavens nor even moksha. All I desire is to remove the suffering from the afflicted beings.)

The School Song

The school song (vidyalaya gaan) of Netarhat school

वन्दे! वन्दे हे सुन्दर मम सखा नेतरहाट सदा,
वन्दे हे सुन्दर मम सखा नेतरहाट।

धन्य महाप्रांगण यह विंध्य प्रकृति क्रीड़ा का;
वन मे वनपशुओं का विचरण स्वच्छन्द यहाँ;
विहगों से कंठ मिला गाते नवगान सदा,
वन्दे! वन्दे हे सुन्दर मम सखा नेतरहाट सदा।

उषा के साथ जगें,प्रतिदिन मंगलमय हो;
कार्य पूर्ण प्रतिपल हो,ज्ञान वृद्धि जनहित हो;
अंतरतर का मधुमय गाये संगीत सदा,
वन्दे! वन्दे हे सुन्दर मम सखा नेतरहाट सदा।

Location

Netarhat (23°28'48"N 84°16'11"E) is located at an elevation of 1250 meters and is renowned for spectacular sunrises, sunsets, waterfalls, and beautiful flora and fauna. The nearest major railway station and airport is Ranchi, which is at a distance of 156 kilometers. There are buses for Netarhat from Ranchi and Palamau. Tourists from all over India and abroad visit Netarhat, whose name means Nature's Heart. However, some^[who?] argue that the place got its name from 'Netur Haat' (which means a marketplace for bamboo in the local language). Apart from bamboo, the pine and sakhua trees add to the flora. The waterfalls Upper Ghaghri, Lower Ghaghri, Tahir, Boodhha Ghaagh and the Koel river are nearby.

Admission and curricula

Admission to the School, which is run by the government of Jharkhand (since inception it was run by the government of Bihar until the separation of state) is given on the basis of three stages of examination: descriptive and multiple-choice written tests, psychological tests and personal interview. Boys between 10 to 12 years of age who are domiciles of the state can apply for admission on a prescribed form through Sub-divisional Education Officers.As many as 20000+ students used to vie for a bare 100 seats (60 till the year 1982) just before the separation of the state of Bihar.There are a certain number of seats reserved for the students belonging to the scheduled castes, scheduled tribes and other classes as defined by the state government.

Students are provided education up to 10+2 level. The medium of instruction is Hindi/English and the curriculum is based on the standards set by Jharkhand School Examination Board and the Jharkhand Intermediate Education Council. For the students of first three years ( Class VII to IX) the school has developed its own curriculum with provision for compulsory training in Music, Fine Arts, Agriculture and Crafts. Computer studies have been introduced to the school.

Administration and staff

The school has been placed under the control of the Secretary, Education Department to help the school administration function properly and smoothly, the Human Resource Development Department, Govt. of Bihar / Govt. of Jharkhand through its notification constituted an Executive Committee, headed by the Divisional Commissioner as its Chairman. The Principal is the Secretary of the Executive Committee. As it is purely a Government Institution, its entire administrative system is governed and controlled by the Government rules and regulations.

All the teachers who are Gazetted Government servants have been entrusted different academic and administrative control. The Principal is overall controlling officer and is vested with drawing and disbursing power.

Teachers come from all over the country whose appointments are made on the recommendations of the state public service commission. Some of them have also gone abroad for teaching and studies under sponsored programmes. A few teachers of the past and present have also been awarded by the President of India.[3]. Press Information Bureau, Government of India

There are instructors for P.T, crafts and some of the science subjects.

Shri Charles James Nepier was the first principal of the school. Principals till date:

Name	From	To
Mr. Charles James Nepier	Apr 1954	Aug 1955
Mr. Radha Sinha	Sep 1955	Mar 1956
Mr. Jeevannath Dar	Apr 1956	Dec 1966
Mr. Birendra Kumar Sinha	Jan 1967	Feb 1976
Dr. Ramdev Tripathi	Feb 1976	Feb 1979
Mr. Kailash Narayan Mehrotra	Jun 1979	Oct 1980
Mr. Mithilesh Kanti	Oct 1980	Sep 1983
Mr. Dwarika Prasad Sinha	Sep 1983	Apr 1986
Mr. Satya Narayan Singh	Nov 1986	Apr 1988
Mr. Mangal Dev Pandey	Aug 1988	Apr 1990
Dr. Param Mitra Sashtri	Apr 1990	Sep 1991
Mr. K.N.Vasudevan	Aug 1991	Sep 1995
Mr. Kamleshwar Prasad	Oct 1995	Sep 2000
Mr. Narendra Prasad	Sep 2000	Aug 2003
Mr. Binod Kumar Karn	Sep 2003	Jan 2010
Mr. Ramakant Gajanan Marathe	Feb 2010	Nov 2010
Mr. Ram Naresh Singh	Dec 2010	Date

Co-curricular Activities

Games, sports and physical training form a part of the routine at the Netarhat School. The school has senior division Naval wing besides the three junior divisions of N.C.C.National Cadet Corps (India) - Army, Air and Naval. There are four Scout troops for junior boys and they can also opt for the Red Cross Society. Training in yoga and gymnastics is also imparted to the boys and girls. Athletics and cross-country competitions are held regularly besides sports tournaments.

The school is well equipped with facilities for playing games like football, hockey, volleyball, tennis, basketball, cricket, badminton, table tennis, kho kho, kabaddi, carrom and chess. Annual tournaments are held for most of these games and students also participate in inter-school tournaments.

The school has facilities for hobbies like wood-work, metal-work, aeromodelling, claymodelling, gardening, photography, painting and rifle training. Dramas in Hindi and English, debates, elocution and antyakshri competitions are held. Some students participated in the six week long camp held on the plateau by National School of Drama. The picturesque locale has also attracted the directors of movies including the Hindi movie Hip Hip Hurray.

Educational tours are organised by the school. The school has a printing press where the school magazine Sarjana is printed and thus the students get an opportunity to learn the basics of journalism and printing.

Societies of students have been formed to prepare for events such as Independence Day, Republic Day, Annual Day, Gandhi Jayanti, Tulsi Jayanti, Saraswati Puja etc.

Library and laboratories

The school has a well stocked library consisting of more than forty thousand books. The open shelf system enables students to have access to the books of their choice. Almost all important dailies, weeklies and magazines including some foreign journals are available in the library.

The school lags behind in the infrastructure required for computer education.

Fees

Fees are charged according to the income of the guardians. Poor but meritorious students are imparted free education. Clothes, books and other necessary stuff are also provided by the school. Food and lodging are subsidised for every student.

Hostels

All the students live in hostels which are called Ashrams. Every Ashram is headed by an Ashramadhyaksha or housemaster who is a teacher. All the teachers are addressed as Shriman ji. The housemasters and their wives, who are reverentially called Mataji (Mother), live in the Ashrams and have their meals with the boarders. Meals are prepared under the supervision of Mataji.

Seniors are addressed with ji suffixed to their names which is common way of showing respect in India among the Hindi speaking population. This tradition continues even after the students pass out of the school.

The Ashram chores are done by the inmates by rotation including sweeping the rooms, washing utensils, cleaning toilets, serving food etc. The boarders follow a routine with provisions for swadhyaya(self-study), rest, P.T., games and sports, daily chores, television, group activities etc. A senior student is appointed as a prefect for the Ashram, as well as a couple of other senior prefects.

The barbers, cobblers, tailors and washermen are available on campus and the cost is borne by the school itself. There is a sick-room with a full-time medical officer.

The students are not allowed to sport any clothes or accessories other than those provided by the school to ensure uniformity.

Hostels are grouped into seven sets or ashram - wargas for purpose of administration and promoting healthy competition.

Set (Ashramvarga)	Houses (Ashrams)
1st Set	Arun, Shanti, Gautam
2nd Set	Anand, Prem, Arjun
3rd Set	Ashok, Kishore, Saket
4th Set	Nalanda, Vikram, Taxila
5th Set	Bhabha, Raman, Bose
6th Set	Arvind, Ramkrishna, Pradeep
7th Set	Kanva, Kapil, Kanad

Surroundings

Netarhat plateau is an abode of a variety of flora and fauna thanks to its supportive climate and copious rain. Pine martins, porcupines, leopards, monkeys, bears, civets, monitor lizards, wild pigs, scorpions, snakes and other species are found in and around Netarhat. Occasional spotting of elephants and tigers is also reported as Netarhat forest is very close to the Betla Tiger Sanctuary.

Some endangered species of Indian snakes can be found here, including pythons. Netarhat School's biology laboratory has a collection of live and preserved snake varieties that include cobras, pit vipers, tree snakes and pythons.

Apart from the bamboo clusters the place got its name from, tropical trees like mango, sal, neem, gulmohar, amaltas, mahua, etc. can be found here and even trees of cold climate like pine, silver fur, bottle brush, thuja are found. "Chilgoza" or the pine nut is type of an aromatic and nutritious dry fruit and is very popular amongst students. Apart from the natural trees and forests, the school has its own fruit orchard where pear, plum, guava, fig, peach, etc. are grown in plenty. Netarhat School has a flower garden that includes over 100 specious of common and exotic flowers.

Netarhat School is surrounded by villages and the locals find good employment opportunities in serving the school. There are over dozen communities, each with their customs and festivals. Students can often hear in the night distant drumming sounds of tribal dance and rituals and on festivals like Sarhul and Pooja the fair organized by the locals provides a break for the students from their academic sessions.

Netarhat plateau, also referred to as the Queen of Chotanagpur is studded by landmarks and tourist spots. Koel view, Magnolia sunset point, Lodh waterfalls, Lower Ghagari waterfall - to name a few. There are picnic spots in and around Netarhat School and group of students under supervision of their respective house masters(ashramadhyaksha) traditionally go to spend a weekend once in a year during the "mid-term break". Some of the most popular spots are Banari on the banks of the Koel river, Upper Gahgari waterfall near Netarhat dam, Tahir, Naina, Aadhe, and Raja Dera.

Criticism

The medium of instruction is Hindi and hence the students do not feel confident enough while communicating in English, which has become important in the modern world. It is an all-boys school and students do not get enough chance to interact with many people. Some^[who?] feel that these become drawbacks when they pass out of the school.

Some^[who?] also feel that the students become pliant as they are not encouraged to question their seniors and teachers. Teenager boys made to do the chores like mopping the floor, cleaning common toilets and doing the dishes have also faced criticism, especially when there is lack of basic amenities like running water, 24-hour electricity, water heating equipments and healthcare.

The connectivity to the school from the other parts of Bihar and Jharkhand is not considered up to the mark. People have also questioned the rationale of the state government spending such a huge amount on a select few students when the state exchequer is already under pressure to fund primary education. The wider criticism of caste-based reservation also holds good for reservation in the selection of the students and teachers for the school. Very few students opt to continue their studies in the school at 10+2 levels for want of quality teachers and proper guidance.

External links

• Official website
• Blog dedicated to Netarhat school
• Netarhat Old boys Association website
• List of Toppers from Netarhat School in Bihar Secondary School Examination
• President Dr. Rajendra Prasad writes about Netarhat School to Mr. F. G. Pearce
• Netarhat School completes 50 years: A report in the Times of India
• Netarhat School toppers: The Telegraph
• Netarhat: Tourism information