Jaleswar: Once the cradle of many national and international-level talented individuals, the 108-year-old Bagiswari Sanskrit School in Salikotha under this block in Balasore district has now lost its sheen – thanks to the apathy of the Education Department, which has now relegated the institution to oblivion endangering the feature of the students.
Founded in 1910, the second such school in the state is an alma mater of Neelakantha Pati, former vice-chancellor of Jagannath College in Puri, and Atul Nanda, VC of Puri Sadashiva Sanskrit College. Yudhistir Sahu, a lecturer with Ravenshaw College, Governor’s award winning teachers Rabinarayan Rath and Lachman Panigrahy and President’s award winning teacher Guruprasad Roula are among the many other alumni of this school.
The school that had once carved a reputation for itself is, however, now left in an absolute shamble. There was a time when students used to make a beeline to get admission to this institution. With the passage of time, the scene has changed.
Adding to the woes, there were eight teachers for students from Class VI to Class X. But, they have all retired now and all the teaching posts are lying vacant since their retirement in February 2018. There is none, but a peon to manage the institution now.
Local senior citizens expressed concern over the manner in which the government is treating this century-old reputed institution. What is worse is that the number of students too is declining. At present there are only 65 students in the school.
Locals alleged that right from the District Education Officer to the Education Minister everyone has been approached regarding the deplorable condition of the institute, but there has been no response from any quarter. This indicates how serious the government is about Sanskrit, referred to as the mother of all languages, the seniors said.
Educationists, senior citizens and others of Jaleswar block have demanded immediate steps be taken to recruit teachers at the Bagiswari Sanskrit School. They warned of a stir if their demand is ignored.
PNN
