Hyderabad: The Government Boys High School, Sultan Bazaar, established in 1866, is now a pale shadow of its former self.
Built on land donated by the Nizam, the school, once spread over 13 acres, has shrunk to two-and-half acres with its main building in a state of ruin.
Traders from Abids, Koti and Sultan Bazaar mobilised funds and the school catered to the children in the area. In tune with the cosmopolitan nature of the erstwhile Nizam State, local languages, Marathi and Kannada were taught at the school.
A few years ago, a part of the old structure caved in during the rainy season — on a Sunday, luckily — after which classes were stopped in that particular building.
Children from Classes 1 to 10 are being taught in two adjacent buildings that came up later, out of which one is half-built. Students from Chappal Bazaar, Gowliguda and nearby areas study in this school.
Mr J.P. Agarwal, a school alumnus, who owns a pharma business in the city, recalled how the school was the most sought after in the city in the past.
“I studied from Class 9 to 11 (HSC) here. At that time, each class had a strength of 40 to 50 students. The present condition of the school is very pitiable. The government should take steps to revive this school,” Mr Agarwal told this correspondent.
