Debate overshadows NTMS condition

Despite good basic facilities in school, lack of staff and students a concern

Several government primary schools in Mysore city have very few number of students attending them. Maharani New Type Model School (NTMS), which has been the centre of controversy in recent days is no exception.

On the wake of a decision taken by the State government to hand over about an acre land of the school to Niranjan Mutt for a Vivekananda Memorial, several protests and workshops were staged across the city both for and against the construction of Vivekananda Memorial. While one group vehemently opposed handing over land of a ‘Kannada Medium School’, the other was equally vocal about the ‘importance’ of establishing Vivekananda Memorial in the same land.

“When the controversy erupted in February, we felt that NTMS will not see another academic year. But, here we are, while the controversy boils,” said Jagannath R, in-charge headmaster of the school.

While the intellectual community of the city is divided over Vivekananda Memorial, the in-charge headmaster broods over the difficulties in the school.

The school had a total enrolment of 22 students for 7 classes, which is an average of three students per class. However, first and sixth standard in the school has no students at all. The fact that only two teachers, of which one is the in-charge headmaster involved with office work and other duties of the school, add to the woes of the school.

Apart from it, a temporary office of Adult Education has been established at the school.

Even though signs are that NTMS will close sooner or later due to zero attendance, even the headmaster feels that the merger with DD Urs Government School would be a wise idea, considering the education the students might receive with an increase in students.

Merger of NTMS with DD Urs Government School too has constraints, as DD Urs School owing to the recent establishment of PU College in its premises, lacks space. The primary school at the premises has only four rooms. Owing to the fact that NTMS has more rooms, experts feel that merging DD Urs School with NTMS is a more feasible option.

School authorities said that there has been no instructions from the Department of Public Instruction regarding the merger yet.

While the controversy of the Vivekananda Memorial brews in the background, some sections of the society have proposed a new destination for the Memorial.

“Though there is some disagreement about whether Swami Vivekananda stayed at NTMS premises before his departure to Chicago, there is ample evidence that Vivekananda had held discourses at Sadvidya School, opposite to NTMS. Therefore, it is fitting  to construct a Memorial by buying land from Sadvidya School, than at NTMS, where Vivekananda is ‘speculated’ to have stayed,” one of the historians opined.

A high school teacher, under the condition of anonymity said that NTMS was being targeted, since it is government property. “No one would dare venture into such projects in a private land,” the teacher said.

While the students at the school suffer from a shortage of teachers and the existing teachers are burdened with additional work, two sections both for and against the memorial, remain adamant on their stand.
DH News Service