Hill schools face pupil flight

MITA MUKHERJEE AND VIVEK CHHETRI, TT, Aug. 24: The statehood agitation has prompted many parents to consider shifting their children out of the Darjeeling hills’ ICSE schools, signalling a fledgling trend that could affect livelihoods in the region if it catches on. 

Yesterday, the parents of 27 students met the authorities of Taurian World School, a five-year-old institution in Ranchi, seeking mid-session admission for their wards. The new-age school’s officials came to Calcutta for the meeting. 

“The parents of 27 children studying in various schools in Darjeeling, Kalimpong and Kurseong have approached us for admission. We were encouraged by the tremendous response from the parents,” said Bhavik M. Anjaria, vice-president (education), Taurian World School. The authorities of Taurian, which follows the CBSE curriculum, have promised special coaching for each of the students from Darjeeling to smooth the switch from the ICSE syllabus. The academic year for both boards begins around March-April. 

The annual fee at the Ranchi school is about Rs 3 lakh while the most expensive hill schools charge about Rs 2 lakh, but sources said the parents did not express any reservations about the higher fees at yesterday’s meeting. 

“As a father, my primary concern is the safety and security of my son. So I think the Taurian World School would be a better option,” said Sudipto Dutta, father of a Class VII student of St Paul’s School, Darjeeling. Most of the transfer-seeking students are from St Paul’s School, one of the oldest public schools in the hills. Overall, some 10,000 boarders study in the hills’ 45-odd ICSE schools. 

All the hostels had emptied out about a month ago when the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha announced its indefinite strike. Although some of these schools plan to reopen in the first week of September, many parents are apprehensive. 

“My son’s school is supposed to reopen on September 2 but I’m reluctant to send him back. There is no guarantee that the situation in Darjeeling won’t become even more volatile in the coming days,” said Pramod Gupta, father of a Class VIII St Paul’s student. If more parents begin to think like Gupta, there could be a fallout on the local economy. 

“The people of Kurseong and Kalimpong towns, which do not have much tourist inflow (compared with Darjeeling), are heavily dependent on the schools for livelihood opportunities,” a hill educationist said. 

“Some of these schools lack boarding facilities, and many local families sustain themselves by running private hostels.” The educationist said the students and their parents also contribute to the local economy as customers of the cafeterias and shops around the schools. “If the student inflow dries up, it will have an impact on the local economy.” 

Aware of these implications, the Gorkhaland Joint Action Committee had in its August 18 meeting decided to keep educational institutions out of the strike’s ambit. 

However, with the arrest of Morcha leader Binay Tamang on August 22, the situation has once again turned fluid. The trend of students looking to leave is disturbing for the schools but Rev. Joy Haldar, the rector of St Paul’s School, did not complain. 

“The safety of the students is most important. We have to look into these issues from the parents’ point of view and not the school’s. For a school it’s a seat lost but for parents, the safety and security of their ward is more important,” he said. 

Darjeeling is one of the country’s earliest education hubs. Many of the schools came up when the British rulers chose various hill towns to set up schools to give their children a respite from the heat in the plains. The Sikkim king had in 1835 gifted to the British the mountain tracts that make up today’s Darjeeling subdivision. 

The Darjeeling hills’ schools boast alumni from countries such as America, France, Thailand, Bangladesh, Bhutan and Nepal. Former Bhutan and Nepal kings Jigme Singye Wangchuck and Gyanendra were students of St Joseph’s School.

(Republished: Source & Courtesy- http://www.telegraphindia.com/1130825/jsp/frontpage/story_17270519.jsp)