GOVERNMENT SANSKRIT SCHOOL CLOSED FOR 15 YEARS

GOVERNMENT SANSKRIT SCHOOL CLOSED FOR 15 YEARS

19-AUG-ENG 15

RAJIV NAYAN AGRAWAL

ARA-------------------------Where Sanskrit verses once echoed and a stream of knowledge flowed for students, desolation now prevails. Ara’s Government Sanskrit School has been closed for a long time, and its building has turned into a ruin. Students in the district who aspire to study Sanskrit no longer have access to educational facilities here.

It is reported that the school premises originally spanned about one acre of land. Now, this land has also fallen prey to encroachment. Allegations at the local level suggest that land speculators have their eyes on the school's land and are attempting to sell it off.

Dr. Sri Krishna Singh, the first Chief Minister of Bihar, established 16 government Sanskrit schools in the state between 1953 and 1956. Five of these schools went to Jharkhand. Ara’s Government Sanskrit School is among the 11 government Sanskrit schools that remained in Bihar.

At one time, studying or teaching at the Government Sanskrit School was considered a matter of pride. However, the school's condition steadily deteriorated after the teachers and the principal retired.

The Government Sanskrit School has been closed for nearly 15 years. Due to this prolonged closure, the entire school complex has fallen into disrepair, and the buildings have turned into ruins. There is no one to look after the school.

Lovers of the Sanskrit language are deeply resentful of the administrative and departmental negligence. People say that the very institution which once promoted Sanskrit education now faces an existential crisis.

Sanskrit is considered one of the country's ancient languages. Sanskrit schools were established with the aim of keeping Indian culture and traditions alive, enabling students to study the language.

Locals state that Sanskrit schools have failed to develop over the past 25 to 30 years due to an indifferent attitude towards Sanskrit education. The very existence of many such schools is now in jeopardy. People are questioning how Sanskrit schools can develop when the Bihar Sanskrit Education Board itself is grappling with various problems.

There are concerns that approximately one acre of land belonging to the Government Sanskrit School is at risk of encroachment. According to locals, individuals involved in the real estate business have their eyes on the school's land, and there is talk of attempts to sell it off.

The public is demanding that the Education Department and the administration investigate the status of the school's land and buildings and take necessary measures to protect the property from encroachment.