Boys' School: A Zone of Destruction

THE LIGHT OF ANDAMANS | VOL: 35 | ISSUE: 26 | 03 FEBRUARY 2012

Boys' School: A Zone of Destruction

The Boys' School had four barracks, two halls and six playgrounds including the basketball field that TGCE claimed as its own. A Boys' Hostel had later come up in one of the playgrounds at the farthest westward end. A new block was added on the hilltop for classes X and XI in 1962.

The allotted land was 5000 sq. m but in actuality, 2.00 hectares of land was under its occupation and the Tahsildar, Port Blair confirmed that Boy's School was the sole allottee. The successive benevolent directors of education treated it like the property of the department rather than a historical institution of learning. Slowly the land of Boys' School was found to be the most convenient for all the buildings that the department needed. State Institute of Education, District Institute of Education & Training, Office of the Deputy Education Officer, South Andaman and the State Library everything found a place in the Boy's School Complex.

The number of playground started shrinking so much so that today, there is not a single playground. TGCE initially even did not allow the students of Boys' School to use the basketball court. Fortunately, the basket ball court too is liberated.

The complex resembles more to a construction and destruction zone rather than an educational institution.