The Centre’s Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas (JNVs) witnessed 98,507 enrolments of students from other backward classes (OBCs) in standards 6 to 12 during the academic year 2020-21, the first in which 27% reservation in admissions for the OBC category was implemented at the school level.
According to the Navodaya Vidyalaya Samithi’s 2020-21 annual report, of the 287,967 students enrolled in 661 JNVs across the country, 34.21% (98,507) fell in the OBC category, 25.13% (72,376) in the Scheduled Caste category, and 20.30% (58,460) in the Scheduled Tribes category.
The report is available on the body’s official website.
The residential schools, JNVs, meant to cater to talented students in rural areas, had 15% reservation for SC students and 7.5% for students from the ST community since the inception of the institute in 1985-86, according to the report, and the 27% OBC quota was introduced in 2020.
The 2020-21 numbers show that the enrolment of students from each of these communities was much higher than the seats reserved for them.
In 2019-20, of the 272,491 students enrolled in JNVs, 69,158 were enrolled in SC category and 55,496 in ST.
{{/usCountry}}In 2019-20, of the 272,491 students enrolled in JNVs, 69,158 were enrolled in SC category and 55,496 in ST.
{{/usCountry}}Seats were reserved for OBC students at the school level for the first time ever in April 2020 in JNVs and Kendriya Vidyalayas (KVs) after a recommendation by a parliamentary committee in February that year. Though 27% reservation existed for OBCs in government jobs and higher education, it was not offered at the school level until them.
According to the JNV annual report 2020-21, Uttar Pradesh witnessed maximum OBC enrolments at 16,368, followed by Madhya Pradesh (10,010), Bihar (9,525), Karnataka (7,973) and Rajasthan (7,552).
A senior official at the education ministry said that the number was likely to further increase in the ongoing 2021-22 academic session. “The government is committed to the proper implementation of OBC reservation. The data for the academic session 2021-22 is yet to be compiled by the ministry,” the official added, asking not to be named.