CHENNAI: With the railway board dropping the plan to shut railway schools, Southern Railways has commenced admission to seven schools for the year 2022-23. The decision of the national transporter ended the ambiguity that prevailed over the functioning of railway schools for the past four years.
The plan to shut railway schools was mooted in 2017-18, after the strength of employees’ children went alarmingly low. According to official sources, admissions to Class 1 and other classes are underway in four higher secondary schools at Perambur, Tiruchy (GOC), Madurai and Palakkad and three high schools in Arakkonam, Erode and Podanur.
Wards of both railway employees and the public are being admitted to the schools, said official sources. In July 2021, the Century old railway high schools in Villupuram and Jolarpettai were closed after the combined strength of Classes 10 and 11 went below 20.
“The revival of schools, including upgrading infrastructure facilities, is being initiated,” said a senior official from Southern railway. As of July 22, at least 2,627 students are studying in seven railway schools, of which 1,772 are wards of the railway employees.
“As the admissions are open to children of the public as well, the students’ strength is expected to go up in coming years,” added the official. The nine railway schools were originally established between 1890 and 1910 to educate the wards of Britishers employed in the railways.
Quoting the railway board directive dated July 14, official sources said the railways have withdrawn all its previous orders issued to shut or merge the railway schools with the Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan. The restrictions on new recruitment of teachers have also been lifted.
Teachers are now permitted to be appointed on a contract basis. An approval also sanctioned promotions of staff, said an official. In May 2018, the Southern railway ordered to stop the enrolment of new students in nine of its schools and decided to close the schools from April 2019 onwards. The decision was attributed to the declining strength of railway wards in schools on account of liberal children’s education allowance being granted by the Union government.
Most employees prefer educating their wards in private schools. This led to stiff résistance from a section of railway employees and the public residing in the neighbouring railway schools. Following this, the railways were permitted to take students in class I for the year 2018-19, subject to an enrollment of 15 to 20 wards of railway employees in the school.
On October 25, 2021, the railway board asked the Southern railway to fix a tentative date to shut or merge the schools with KVS which has less patronage among railway employees. It also sought detailed justification for running the schools. However, no deadline was fixed for closure.