Netarhat Residential School
Netarhat Residential School was established on 15 November 1954, after the independence of India, to provide a centre of academic excellence to people of state of Bihar, irrespective of their economic conditions, caste and creed.
The school has a record of producing toppers of the Bihar School Examination Board[1] (After the creation of the state of Jharkhand in the year 2000, it comes under the purview of Jharkhand Board.)
The Alumni of Netarhat school have excelled in almost all the fields including administration, research, medicine, engineering and teaching.
The school is situated far away from disturbed and busy life of town, and is very close to lap of nature surrounded by Saal trees on a hill top. The whole atmosphere is based on Guru Kul Padhati - away from home, staying in Ashrams, simple and country made dress (based on the Gandhian philosophy)... Continuing to provide excellent environment. The school has produced citizens who are following the motto of school Atta Dipa Viharatha. The inspiration of school had let a number of students of this school (commonly known as NOBA- Netarhat Old Boys Association) to share their wisdom to whole world.
Location
The school is situated on the plateau of Chhotanagpur, in the state of Jharkhand (undivided Bihar) in India which is known for its scenic beauty. Tourists from all over India and abroad visit Netarhat for the sunrise and sunset and for the invigorating forest air and for the tranquility.Dense forests, serpentine roads, cool bracing breeze, moonlit nights must have persuaded the English to call this place Nature's Heart (Netarhat). However, some argue that the place got its name from 'Netur Haat' (which means a marketplace for bamboo in the local language). Apart from bamboo, the pine and sakhua trees add to the beauty of this place. The waterfalls Upper Ghaghri, Lower Ghaghri, Tahir, Boodhha Ghaagh and the Koel river are picturesque and soothing at the same time.
It is located at an elevation of 1250 meters and is renowned for spectacular sunrises, sunsets, waterfall, beautiful flora and fauna. The nearest major railway station and airport is Ranchi, which is at a distance of 156 Kilometers. There are regular buses for Netarhat from Ranchi and Palamau.
Motto
"Atta Dipa Viharatha" - be thou your own light - is the motto of the school. It rightly motivates students to be self-dependent and instills in them confidence to face challenges of life. Great emphasis is laid on the all-round development (sarvangeen vikas) of the students.
The School
Admission to the School, which is run by the govt. of Jharkhand (since inception it was run by
Govt. of Bihar till the separation of state.), is given on the basis of three stages of examination comprising of written tests, psychological test and interview. Boys between 10 to 12 years of age who are domiciles of the state can apply for admission on a prescribed form through Sub-divisional Education Officers.
Selected students are provided education up to plus two level. The medium of instruction is Hindi and the curriculum is based on the standards set by Jharkhand School Examination Board and the Jharkhand Inetermediate Council. For the students of first three years ( Class VII to IX) the school has developed its own curriculumin which provision for compulsory training in Music, Fine Arts, Agriculture and Crafts has been made.
Lately computer studies has also been introduced in the school.
Staff
Teachers from all over the country whose appointments are made on the recommendations of the state public service commission. Some of them have also gone abroad for teaching and studies under different sponsored programmes. A few teachers of the past and present have also been awarded by the President of India.[citation needed]Press Information Bureau, Government of India
There are experienced intructors for P.T. Crafts and some of the science subjects.
Shri Charles James Nepier was the first principal of the school. Here is a list of all the principals till date.
- Mr. Charles James Nepier April 1954 to Aug 1955
- Mr. Radha Sinha Sep 1955 to Mar 1956
- Mr. Jeevannath Dar April 1956 to 1966
- Mr. Virendra Kumar Sinha Jan 1967 to Feb 1976
- Dr. Ramdev Tripathi Feb 1976 to Feb 1979
- Mr. Kailash Narayan Mehrotra June 1979 to Oct 1980
- Mr. Mithilesh Kanti Oct 1980 to Sep 1983
- Mr. Dwarika Prasad Sinha Sep 1983 to April 1986
- Mr. Satya Narayan Singh Nov 1986 to April 1988
- Mr. Mangal Dev Pandey Aug 1988 to April 1990
- Dr. Param Mitra Sashtri April 1990 to Sep 1991
- Mr. K.N.Vasudevan Aug 1991 to Sep 1995
- Mr. Kamleshwar Prasad Oct 1995 to Sep 2000
- Mr. Narendra Prasad Sep 2000 to Aug 2003
- Mr. Vinod Kumar Karn Sep 2003 to date
Co-Curricular Activities
Regular games, sports and physical training form a part of the routine at the Netarhat school. The school has senior division Naval wing besides the three junior divisions of N.C.C. - Army, Air and Naval. There are four Scout troops for junior boys and they can also opt for the Red Cross Society. Training in yoga is also imparted to the boys and girls. Athletics and cross-country competitions are held regularly besides various sports tournaments.
The school has facilities for hobbies like wood-work, metal-work, aeromodelling, claymodelling, gardening, photography, painting and rifle training. Dramas in Hindi and English, debates, elocution and 'antyakshri' competitions are held at regular intervals.
Educational tours to different parts of the country are also orgnised by the school. The school has its own printing press where the school magazine 'Sarjana' is printed. Thus the students get an opportunity to learn the basics of journalism and printing.
Library
The school has a well stocked library consisting of more than forty thousand books on various subjects. The open shelf system enables students to have an easy access to the books of their choice. Almost all important dailies, weeklies and magazines including some foreign journal are available in the library.
Health Care
The school has a 16 bed sickroom under the control of a full time medical officer.
Fees
Fees are charged according to the income of the guardians. Poor but meritorious students are imparted free education. Food and lodging are subsidised for every student. Great care is taken to maintain uniformity among students.
Hostels
All the students live in hostels which are called "Ashrams". Every Ashram is under an "Ashramadhyaksha" or housemaster. The housemasters and their wives, who are reverentially called "Mataji"(Mother), not only live in the Ashrams, but they also have their meals with the boarders. This makes it easier for the children drawn from different backgrounds to adjust themselves without any psychological strain.
The entire Ashram chores is done by the inmates themselves by rotation including sweeping the rooms, washing utensils, cleaning toilets, serving food etc. This removes all the personal angularities.
Hostel are divided into seven sets or 'ashram - wargas'.
- 1st set: Arun, Shanti, Gautam
- 2nd Set: Aanand, Prem, Arjun
- 3rd set: Ashok, Kishore, Saket
- 4th Set: Nalanda, Vikram, Taxila
- 5th Set: Bhabha, Raman, Bose
- 6th Set: Arvind, Ramkrishna, Pradeep
- 7th Set: Kanva, Kapil, Kanad