JORHAT, June 11 - Among the three schools of Jorhat district to be closed down out of 17 across Assam by the Government for drawing blank in this year�s HSLC Examinations, a 126-year-old school in the heart of the town here has moved into a part of the history of this premier Upper Assam town, known as a hub of education, literature and culture.
Jorhat Bezbaroa Provincialised High School, along the JB Road here, which was established in 1894 by a eminent teacher of the late 19th century Govinda Bezbaroa, was officially closed down today.
Officials and staff from the Inspector of Schools, Jorhat today came to the school campus, which is spread over three bighas, four kothas and 14 lechas, and started the process of taking over the school.
Interestingly, the result of HSLC examination of the school in the past nine years were not nil and six candidates secured first division with letter marks in one subject each in 2018. This year, however, the school failed to get its only one girl candidate appearing for the exam, successful.
The girl failed in two subjects while two other candidates who had filled up forms did not sit for the examination.
The school presently has 17 students, including girls, five teachers (three permanent and two contractual), and a headmaster, one lower division office assistant and two fourth grade employees.
The students have been merged with another nearby high school while the teachers and staff will be posted to other schools as per vacancies existing in the institutes, a source of the Education department stated.
The Headmaster of the school Atanu Kumar Kalita, who after assuming charge in 2015, as part of his multi-pronged efforts to increase enrolment and enhance the results had admitted girls along with boys in the school, today felt that he �lost a battle� to keep alive an institute which has made quite a long journey.
Kalita told this newspaper that to increase enrolment, he from his own pocket, distributed carrom boards, water filters, other playing materials to nearby LP schools, organised drawing competitions to attract students to the school.
�I also arranged the screening of the movie Junglebook for students of LP schools in adjoining areas and from 10 students in 2015 the number had gone up to 50 in 2016-17 academic year,� the Headmaster said. He said students that enrolled in the school were mostly from poor and socially backward families and attendance too were thin.
When asked whether there were vacancies of teachers� posts in recent times, Kalita said there were a few for some subjects. He said he used to take classes to make up for the same as much as possible.
Meanwhile, the Inspector of Schools, Jorhat, has also started the process of taking over charge of Baligaon Vocational Geetarthi High School, Namdeuri High School (Jorhat district) and Madhya Ahotguri High School in Majuli for scoring nil in HSLC examination results this time.
It may be mentioned here that schools of Majuli district, erstwhile a civil sub-division of Jorhat which was declared as a district in 2016, are still under the jurisdiction of Jorhat, Inspector of Schools.
