A historic move has been declared by Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren and is bound to alter the education scenario in the state. The longstanding prestigious Netarhat Residential School, which since its establishment in 1954 has remained a boys-only institution, will finally admit girls in the first instance. The step is being welcomed as a step in the right direction towards achieving gender equality in access to quality education. In conjunction with this, the Chief Minister announced that within the state, three more residential schools will be opened in the same fashion as Netarhat, to follow its example of excellence.
Netarhat Residential School is considered one of the best government-operated schools in the nation that has produced great alumni who have since taken up high-ranking administrative, academic, and professional roles. But decades on, the institution had been a preserve of boys, and girls were denied the distinct model of holistic, high-quality education it offered. The Chief Minister has finally broken this barrier with his announcement, and girls will now enjoy the benefits of the opportunities that Netarhat has to offer, just like the boys.
The move by the government to establish three additional Netarhat-like schools is a sign of a bigger vision to extend the benefits of high-quality schools to students in Jharkhand. These will be residential English-medium schools based on the CBSE curriculum. They should have modern facilities such as good science laboratories, online classes and extensive facilities so as to be able to provide education to students with a variety of backgrounds at the same level as those of the best of the privately operated schools. The project is not just meant to cultivate academic excellence but also to inculcate discipline, leadership and social responsibility in the students.
The introduction of girls into Netarhat and the establishment of new residential schools are a part of a greater plan of the state government to close the divide between government and non-government education. More recent actions like teacher recruitment, the introduction of clean school awards, and digital education festivals show that there is a clear attempt to improve the quality of state-owned schools and make them more attractive to parents. The announcement also echoes the focus of the government on inclusivity, where girls who are usually disadvantaged in attaining quality education are no longer left behind.
This is a new history in the education of Jharkhand. The government has indicated that they are determined to create a future in which all children are granted world-class education and the opportunity to succeed by extending the legacy of Netarhat to girls and replicating its model across the state.
