Govt school students rise and shine

Mou Chakraborty
Kolkata, June 2, 2007
Despite inherent disadvantages like poor infrastructure, students from government schools have performed better in Madhyamik and Higher Secondary examinations.
There are 44 government schools in the state, out of which 18 institutions have produced on an average forty students with star marks in Madhyamik. Among them Hindu School topped the list with 80 students and Barasta PCS stood second with 70. In Higher Secondary where students of private and government sponsored schools struggled to get 80 per cent on an average, government schools had at least 10 students scoring above 80 per cent.
“Our biggest handicap is that unlike the private schools, we cannot take an admission test but have to take students through lottery. Which means we get both meritorious as well as below average students. The reason for good results is that our teachers are able to churn out merit from students of all categories,” said Dipak Das, general secretary of West Bengal Government School Teachers Association.
Abhro Ghosh, who scored 447 from Hooghly Collegiate School and is one of the toppers in HS, agrees. “My result would not have been possible without my teachers. My school and teachers always guided me and they are responsible for what I am today.”
“The environment of our schools is such that most of the students study diligently. The teachers give personal attention to students and even take extra classes in other government schools, something which cannot be seen everywhere,” said Shyamnarayan Bandhyopadhyay, principal of Hindu School.
Many government schools have teaching posts vacant. The condition is such that teachers from one school have often taken classes in another institution. “We have 120 teachers post lying vacant. However, 40 new teaching posts have been created. We hope the state will try and solve our problems,” said Das.
The government schools have to recruit teachers through Public Service Commission (PSC). The PSC had advertised for recruitment in January, but they have not announced any exam date. Only after the exam, the PSC will put up a list of selected candidates and an interview will finally select the teachers. “The system is cumbrous and by the time PSC selects a candidate, he has already joined a government sponsored school through School Service Commission exam,” said Das.
However, many government school students with star marks may not get admission in their own institutions. “Government rules prevents us form admitting all our successful students to Class XI. Instead we have to split in 50-50 ratios and take students from outside,” said Das.
mou.hindustantimes@yahoo.com