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Decision to close down Dashmesh Academy reversed
Kiran Deep
Tribune News Service

Anandpur Sahib, March 7
The trust running Sri Dashmesh Academy today reversed its earlier decision to close down the institution from March 31. The decision was announced by the chairman of the trust and former Punjab Chief Minister, Mr Parkash Singh Badal, today morning.

The decision was taken after a member of the trust, Mr Surjit Singh Rakhra, agreed to release a grant of Rs 1 crore to keep the academy running. Earlier, the trust had issued a notice to close down the academy from March 31 due to financial crisis.

Incidentally, Mr Badal swung into action just a day before the scheduled meeting of the Chief Minister, Capt Amarinder Singh, with members of the trust to find out a possible way out to keep the academy running.

The parent-teacher association of the academy had approached the high court just a day earlier.

Mr Badal met students, teachers and employees outside the mess around 7.30 am and told them that a member of the trust, also an MLA, Mr Surjit Singh Rakhra, had agreed to give Rs 1 crore to the trust.

He said the notice issued earlier to close down the academy would be withdrawn.

He asked the staff members to start the admission process.

Mr Rakhra, who was also present there, assured the employees that the grant would be released very soon. Air Marshal M.M. Singh, Mr A.J.S Garewal and Ms Manpreet Badal, members of the trust, and the manager of Gurdwara Takht Shri Keshgarh Sahib, Mr Karam Singh, were also present on the occasion.

Sources said Mr Badal reached Anandpur Sahib in the morning and held a meeting with members of the trust at the residence of Mr Karam Singh.

When The Tribune team visited the academy, the employees and students were in a jubilant mood. “The decision of the trust was the biggest surprise for more than 400 students and 114 employees of the academy who had been running from pillar to post to save the academy after the notice was issued by the trust to close it down,” said Mr Arun Sharma, a member of the joint action committee of the academy.

Sarbjit Dhaliwal writes from Chandigarh: Mr Badal, who visited the academy along with certain NRIs, said he had asked the authorities to withdraw the notices given to the teachers and other staff members terminating their services from March 31.

“I will again visit the academy on March 9 to discuss various problems faced by it. There is immediate need to repair certain parts of the buildings. Furniture and other items required to be changed,” said Mr Badal. At present, nearly 100 students are boarders and about 300 others day scholars.

There is reservation of seats for the wards of serving and ex-soldiers in the academy. They are given fee and other concessions. “The Academy was my brainchild and I would like to see it emerging as an excellent educational institution instead of closing it down,” said Mr Badal. “I will arrange more funds from MPs who have a lot of money at their disposal for allocation to such institutions,” he asserted.

“We are looking for a good, professional Principal for the academy from abroad. I have asked Mr Darshan Dhaliwal to take the help of his friends in the USA to find a good educationist having the capacity to improve the academy to international standards,” he said. The government did not extend any financial help to the academy in the past years. “Though it was bad on the part of the government, let us not look back but start working afresh to breathe new life into the academy,” Mr Badal said.

While Mr Badal is the Chairman of the trust, Capt Amarinder Singh, as the Chief Minister, is the Chairman of the governing body of the academy.

Mr Badal said there was no use handing over control of academy to the Army authorities. “The defence authorities take a long time to decide things while the academy needs help today.”

He said, it was unfortunate that the commitment to set up a cantonment and a junior officers’ military training centre at Anandpur Sahib had not been fulfilled by the Union Government.