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Sainik Schools being set up with help from NGOs, states: Govt tells Parliament
VK Krishna Menon, who was India’s defence minister during the India-China 1962 war, had come up with the idea of setting up Sainik Schools.
The government on Wednesday told Parliament that it is working on a new scheme to set up more Sainik Schools in the country in partnership with non-governmental organisations (NGOs), private schools and state governments. This comes weeks after finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced in her budget speech on February 1 that India will set up 100 new Sainik Schools in partnership with NGOs, private schools, and states.
Currently, there are 33 Sainik Schools in the country that account for a large number of candidates who join the armed forces.
“The endeavour is to provide schooling opportunities in ‘CBSE plus’ type of educational environment by involving desirous government/private schools/NGOs to partner in establishing/aligning their system with Sainik Schools’ ethos, value system and national pride,” minister of state for defence Shripad Naik told Lok Sabha in response to a question.
Sainik School alumni have risen to top ranks in the military including service chiefs such as Generals Dalbir Singh and Deepak Kapoor.
“It (the proposal) envisages enrolling existing/upcoming schools to be run on the lines of Sainik School curriculum. The schools are proposed to be affiliated to Sainik Schools Society. Detailed guidelines and requisite approval are at an advance stage,” the minister told the lower house.
VK Krishna Menon, who was India’s defence minister during the India-China 1962 war, had come up with the idea of setting up Sainik Schools.
Figures testify the role of Sainik Schools as feeder institutions for the armed forces. In 2018, the National Defence Academy (NDA), known as the cradle of military leadership, inducted a total of 662 cadets of whom 147 (22.2%) were from Sainik Schools. The preceding year the number was even higher. In 2017, of the 644 cadets who joined NDA, 179 (27.8%) were from Sainik Schools. Similarly, of the 595 cadets who joined NDA in 2016, 158 (26.5%) were alumni of Sainik Schools. Some select Sainik Schools have begun opening their doors to girls too since 2018, with the government opening up more avenues for women in the armed forces in recent years.
As reported by Hindustan Times on March 8, the Indian Navy has deployed four women officers on warships after a hiatus of almost 25 years, with the service focusing on steadily opening more roles to them.
One of the turning points for women in the military came in 2015 when the Indian Air Force decided to induct them into the fighter stream. Tanks and combat positions in infantry are still no-go zones for women, who were allowed to join the armed forces outside the medical stream for the first time in 1992.
Until now, Sainik Schools were set up after receiving requests from state governments/union territories, which have to provide infrastructure such as land and educational/ residential buildings.
