Rajnath Singh, union defense minister on Wednesday, reminded the people of the country that the term Sainik is not confined to that of waging battle but it has a broad meaning. “Through Sainik Schools, we are moulding future leaders to take the country to new heights in all social fields. Please remember that persons like Swamy Vivekananda, Adi Sankaracharya, Sree Narayana Guru, Raja Ravi Varma were all soldiers fighting in different battlefields for social and cultural transformation of the nation,” said Rajnath Singh while dedicating to the nation the fourth Sainik School in Kerala launched under the auspices of Vidhyadhiraja Vidyapeetom at Mavelikkara in Alappuzha district.
Interestingly, even as the minister was inaugurating the school, functioning of schools across Kerala came to an almost standstill following the agitation by various trade unions of teachers demanding more pay and parks and lesser working hours.
The new school is part of the initiative of the Prime Minister's Scheme to set up 100 such schools across India to make available top quality education to all sections of society. Kerala has three Sainik Schools functioning in Thiruvananthapuram. Ernakulam and Kozhikode districts. While the Sainik School at Thiruvananthapuram is owned by the Government of India, the schools at Ernakulam and Kozhikode are managed by private management.
The Sainik School at Mavelikkara is a dream come true for Vidhyadhiraja Educational and Charitable Trust launched in 1978. The school is affiliated to the Sainik School, Government of India. Students who pass out from the fifth standard in other schools are eligible to apply for admission to the sixth standard and the selection is based on an all India entrance examination.
Jayaprakash Valliathan, a marine engineer-turned-educationist told The Pioneer that 60 per cent of the total seats are reserved for students from the Vidhyadhiraja Vidyapeetom Central School while the remaining seats are available for students from rest of the country. “The curriculum has been prepared as per the directives of CBSE New Delhi and Sainik School Society. The students in the Sainik School stream get a taste of life in the defense services with specially trained teachers imparting them training in physical education, sports and games,” said Valliathan.
Minister Rajnath Singh further stated that the last few years saw a jump in the number of Sainik Schools functioning in the country. “There were just 33 Sainik Schools in India but the number has gone up by manifolds because the nation is in need of youngsters with discipline, dedication and commitment to work not only in the armed forces and para military forces but in other areas too,” said the minister.
He pointed out that the Sainik Schools are the stepping stones to career in defense forces. “Since the Forces have started appointing girls too as officers, we need more trained professionals as well as Sainik Schools,” he said.
