Defence Ministry Approves 21 New Sainik Schools

Vinod Kakumanu
April 5, 2022, 11:42 a.m.

It was recently announced by the Indian Ministry of Defence that it has approved the setting up of 21 new Sainik Schools in the country. This is being done in partnership with NGOs, private schools and state governments.

This is the first phase of the overall objective of the Government of India of having 100 new Sainik Schools, which will be in tune with the vision of the National Education Policy – both for providing quality education and career opportunities, including joining the armed forces.

The recent announcement also gave more details about these proposed new Sainik Schools, which are expected to be started from May 2022. Out of the total, 4 are Greenfield schools (i.e. with a completely new set-up), and 17 will be Brownfield projects (i.e. upgradation of existing schools). In terms of partnerships, 6 of these are with private schools, 3 are state government-owned, and 12 are with NGO or trusts. It was also explained in the announcement that 7 of the new Sainik Schools will be day-schools, while 14 will have residential arrangement, similar to the existing Sainik Schools. Though the new schools will be affiliated to respective education boards, they will function under the aegis of the Sainik School Society.

The Ministry also gave information about the admission process for these new Sainik Schools. Admission will be from Class 6 onwards, and an All-India Entrance Examination will be held by the National Testing Agency (NTA). At least 40% of the intake will be through this examination, while up to 60% intake will be of students enrolled in the same schools, who are interested in taking admission under this vertical of Sainik Schools through a qualifying test.