Railway Mixed Higher Secondary School, Golden Rock, Tiruchirappalli

Railway Mixed Higher Secondary School
Address
Railway Colony, Ponmalai Tiruchirappalli , Tamil Nadu India
Coordinates	10°47′06″N78°43′05″E / 10.78500°N 78.71806°E / 10.78500; 78.71806
Information
Type	Government school
Motto	Study Serve Shine
Established	1923;101 years ago (1923)
Status	Open
School district	Tiruchirappalli
Oversight	Railway Board
President	Divisional Railway Manager/ Chief Personnel Officer
Correspondent	Workshop Personnel Officer
Administrator	M. Ramakrishnan [1] (Chief Educational Officer)
Principal	P. M. Amaranathan
Teaching staff	29
Grades	1 - 12
Enrollment	793
Houses	4 Houses
Colour(s)	Navy Blue and White
Athletics	Yes
Accreditation	Anglo Indian School Leaving Certificate (Anglo-Indian Board) and HSC
Schedule	Monday-Friday, except state and district holidays
Information	Official Contact

Railway Mixed Higher Secondary School, commonly Railway School or RMHSS or RMHS/EM/GOC is a Government coed day school located at Golden Rock, Tiruchirappalli, Tamil Nadu. It is one among 42 schools in the state ^[2] and among 4 schools in the Tiruchirapalli Revenue district that follows both Anglo-Indian Board of Education ^[3] and Higher Secondary Board, catering to pupils from Class I to Class XII in bilingual pattern, viz., English and Tamil, which are the medium of instruction.

History and background

Prior to the 18th century, Golden Rock, was earlier referred by Robert Orme to the British as Sugar-Loaf Rock, ^[4] where after the Battle of Golden Rock, the erstwhile Trichinopoly was divided into two parts, one called the Cantonment, which contains the residences of European & Anglo-Indian community and the garrison-barracks for stationing the European and Indian Regiments. ^{[5] [6] [7]} The cantonment ^[8] then comprised the present day areas of Cantonment, Tiruchirappalli Junction, Senthaneerpuram, Varahaneri, Golden Rock, Tiruchirapalli Central Prison and other major parts of southern and eastern trichy. ^[9] During 1878, when the Afghan War broke, the whole of the European troops were withdrawn. ^[10] According to Oral lore, some parts of the barracks were converted to dispensary and clinic. Later, the buildings were transformed for Cholera/T.B. Hospital and again as barracks and again to hospital, which was mostly devoted and preferred for the Europeans and Anglo-Indians. Around the 1920s, provision was contemplated for a Railway School since there were considerations to move the railway workshop from Negapatnam to Trichinopoly, for strategic purposes, for which foundations were laid in 1926 and permanently moved in 1928. ^[11] Around the same time, two Railway schools at primary level in English Medium and Tamil Medium were established during 1923 ^{[12] [13]} and 1925 ^{[14] [15]} respectively along with an exclusive Divisional Railway Hospital was also set up and started to function here since 1927. ^{[16] [17]} Post-independence the administration was transferred to Indian Railways, which opened many more such schools, ^[18] where quality education is provided at subsidized cost to about one lakh children of railway employees and about 30,000 non-railway wards. There are about 5,500 teachers and about 1,100 non-teaching staff employed in these railway schools. Indian Railways also supports many Kendriya Vidyalayas for the benefit of wards of railway employees. ^{[19] [20]} Under British rule, initially the school served the purpose only for Europeans and British children, then extended to Anglo-Indians and finally exclusive to the wards of Railway employees who serve anywhere in India. In the early 1990s, admission was open to all, with substantially a little higher fee for wards of Non-Railway employees than that of Railway employee. Preference of admission is given only for wards of Railway employee. Now, this school has been elevated to Higher Secondary School.

Campus

The school is spread over a sprawling 20 acres (8.1 ha) site, which has sufficient spacious classrooms to accommodate enough pupils. Initially, the students were taught at the building of now-defunct Railway Mixed Higher Secondary School/Tamil Medium, ^[21] which was then High School (Class I - Class X) for both Tamil/English Medium since a Primary School (Class I - Class V) for Tamil Medium was established amidst “C” Type Quarters in 1925 and Middle School (Class I - Class VIII) was functioning within North “D” Quarters, which also housed a CSI Church. Around the 1980s, the present premises of the school was utilised only for the High School as the sections of Primary Classes were functioning at the premises of Office of Chief Mechanical Engineer, Central Workshops, Golden Rock, where the pupils here would assemble at the main campus which was about 400m away, for the purpose of daily morning prayers and important events.

The school has a large central hexagonal hall with classrooms along with labs at every 90 degree (like a compass view). Later on when the large and additional building (with ground and first floor) was completed along with improvement in other basic amenities like additional privy, bicycle parking stand, drinking water, entire pupils of the school were moved under one premises. Recently, this school was elevated to Higher Secondary School accepting students for both English and Tamil Mediums.

Apart from the facilities inside the main campus, the school is also allowed to use the nearby Railway Community hall, Dr.B.R.Ambedkar Common Wedding hall, Railway Sports playground, Railway Gym Club, Railway Cinema hall and other Railway buildings for bona fide educational and recreational purposes either at very nominal cost or at free of cost.

Extracurricular activities

The Annual School day is organized during second fortnight of January month or first fortnight of February month. During which events like, drama, mime, elocution, quiz, debate, essay writing, Craftwork, Choir, drawing and other activities are conducted and top three performers are awarded with certificate. Also top three rank holders every class of previous academic year are honoured with certificate. The students are also allowed to participate in inter-railway and inter-zonal competitions. Apart from these students are also involved in Green Club, National Service Scheme, Literary Club, Social awareness rallies, etc.,

Sports

Closing ceremony at a Sports day

Students from all classes were encouraged to participate in various sports events. Students right from Class VI till Class XII were alphabetically partitioned and accommodated to the four houses almost within one month from the start of the academic year. During Independence Day, Annual Sports day and Republic day, the students are trained and assembled to perform a mass physical exercise drill to the musical tune of big drum. Apart from these, hand-picked students for parade and sports events were allowed to participate for Independence day and Republic day celebrations at Central Workshop, Golden Rock and also to Inter-School, Inter-Railway, Zonal, District and State-level competitions.

Houses

Following are the houses where, inter house competitions are held every year. Each house gets points based on their performance. The house which gets most points at the end of the year will be winner of the year.

Colour	Name of House
	Blue House
	Green House
	Red House
	Yellow House

Railway support

In 2018, Indian Railways announced its intent to withdraw support for its Railway Schools after 2018-19. Later, it revised its position, announcing support for schools with fifteen to twenty wards of railway employees. ^[22]

See also

• Tiruchirappalli
• History of Tiruchirappalli
• Tiruchirappalli district
• Education in Tamil Nadu
• Indian Railways
• Golden Rock Railway Workshop

References

1. "Local holiday not applicable for institutions having exams". The Times of India . Trichy. 12 December 2018. Retrieved 12 December 2018.
2. Raghupathi, Hemalatha. "Tamil Nadu: Deadly equity". Education World. Retrieved 11 September 2013.
3. "Tiruchi students from Anglo Indian stream bag State ranks". The Hindu . Retrieved 11 September 2013.
4. "Robert Orme's Old map of Trichinopoly". Kronoskaf. Retrieved 9 September 2013.
5. Illustrated Guide to the South Indian Railway (Incorporated in England): Including the Tanjore District Board, Pondicherry, Peralam-Karaikkal, Travancore State, Cochin State, Coimbatore District Board, Tinnevelly-Tiruchendur, and the Nilgiri Railways. Asian Educational Services. 1926. p. 70.
6. Austin, Woodeson (1930). The Engineering Association of Ceylon: Transactions for 1930. Vol. XXIV. Colombo Apothecaries Company, Ltd. p. XXV.
7. Rickard, J. "Siege of Trichinopoly, 3 January 1753-August 1754" . Retrieved 16 July 2013.
8. "Cantonments of India". Archived from the original on 16 October 2013. Retrieved 5 August 2013.
9. "Present day Cantonment of Tiruchirapalli". Google Maps . Retrieved 5 August 2013.
10. Henry, Frowde M.A. (1907). The Imperial gazetteer of India. Vol. XXIV. London: Oxford. p. 44.
11. "IR History: Part - III (1900 - 1947)". Indian Railway Fan Club. IRCFA.org. Retrieved 9 August 2013.
12. "Plea to start Tamil medium wing". The Hindu . 16 June 2008. Archived from the original on 19 June 2008. Retrieved 9 August 2013.
13. Jones, C. E. W. (31 October 1927). "Report on the expenditure of the railways on the education of the children of employees in 1925-26" (PDF). Gokhale Institute of Politics and Economics . New Delhi: Railway Department. pp. 2, 55. Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 August 2018. Retrieved 15 August 2018.
14. "Railway Mixed Primary School (Eastern Area), Ponmalai". The Hindu . 8 April 2005. Archived from the original on 7 December 2005. Retrieved 9 August 2013.
15. "Railway Mixed Primary School (Eastern Area), Ponmalai". The Hindu . 31 March 2006. Archived from the original on 16 October 2013. Retrieved 9 August 2013.
16. "New orthopaedic block opened at railway hospital". The Hindu . 9 March 2013. Retrieved 15 October 2013.
17. "Hic! Here's the secret of patients in high spirits". The New Indian Express . 22 April 2013. Archived from the original on 2 December 2013. Retrieved 15 October 2013.
18. "Provision of Schools in Railway Colonies for the Children of Railway Employees". Information Center. Retrieved 18 September 2013.
19. B.V.L.NARAYANA. "Indian Railways - AN INTRODUCTION" (.ppt). National Academy of Indian Railways. Retrieved 10 August 2013.
20. "Scope for starting KV in railway workshop township bright". The Hindu . 23 July 2012. Retrieved 10 August 2013.
21. Rajesh M. "RMHSS/TM/GOC". Google Plus . Retrieved 10 September 2013.
22. Arockiaraj, D Vincent (18 May 2018). "Railway does U-turn, gives green signal to run schools". Times of India. Retrieved 29 January 2019.

Further reading

• E. B. Eastwick (1879). Murray's Handbook of Madras Presidency: With a Notice of the Overland Route to India (2nd ed.).
• F.R. Hemingway (1907). Trichinopoly. Madras: Superintendent, Govt. Press.
• Margaret Deefholts; Susan Deefholts, eds. (2010). Women of Anglo-India: Tales and Memoirs. New Jersey, US: CTR Inc. Publishing.
• Caplan, Lionel (2003). Children of colonialism : Anglo-Indians in a postcolonial world. Oxford: Berg. ISBN   1859736327.
• "Railway Mixed High School (English Medium), Golden Rock". The Hindu . 19 October 2007. Archived from the original on 11 October 2013. Retrieved 18 September 2013.
• "Railways observes World TB Day". The Hindu . 24 March 2013. Retrieved 18 September 2013.
• "STAFF WELFARE and EDUCATIONAL FACILITIES". INDIAN RAILWAY QUESTION BANK.
• South Indian Railway Co. : Illustrated Guide. Madras: Hoe & Co., Premier Press. 1921.
• "Festival of talent". The Hindu . 2 September 2008. Retrieved 6 November 2013.

External links

• RMHSS/EM/GOC at WordPress