Opening of 100 Sainik Schools under Public-private partnership and Appointment of JCOs/NCOs as Teacher.

A Report on the proposal and implementation strategy of establishment of 100 Sainik School under public private partnership has been published by the Defence Ministry in the 36^th Report of Standing Committee on Defence, 2022-23 in the 17^th Lok Sabha.

The representatives of the Ministry of Defence briefed about new schools: “The salient features of the New Sainik School Scheme are, in accordance with the Government of India’s decision, 100 Sainik Schools under PPP mode will be set up in the first phase. These schools will be located in all the States of the country. Online applications were invited from desirous schools, and 18 new Sainik Schools have been approved by the MoD till date.

These 18 new Sainik Schools are already functioning. The Ministry of Defence has not laid any restriction on the new Sainik Schools to run only Sainik School pattern of education. New Sainik Schools can have separate vertical for Sainik Schools pattern as well as non-Sainik Schools pattern. These new schools can be day schools or residential schools.

The criteria for merit-based admission in the new Sainik Schools will be same as the existing 33 Sainik Schools wherein students will be given admission based on merit obtained in all-India level Common Admission Test conducted by the National Testing Agency.

A need was felt to orient teachers of new Sainik Schools so that they can conduct the specified curriculum more effectively. Accordingly, the teachers of new Sainik Schools have undergone a centralised training at IITE, that is, Indian Institute of Teachers Education at Gandhinagar.

The Government has also decided to provide annual fees support of 50 per cent of the fee, subject to upper limit of Rs.40,000 per annum for 50 per cent of the classes, again subject to upper limit of 50 students on merit-cum-means basis”.

When enquired whether Ministry of Defence has exclusively made financial allocations for this purpose, the Ministry in its written replies stated as under: “An Annual Fee assistance of 50% of fee (subject to an upper limit of Rs 40,000 per annum) for 50% of the class strength (subject to an upper limit of 50 students) per year from class 6th onwards to class 12, on Merit-cum-Means basis shall be provided under the scheme.

The approved schools will be incentivized with an amount of Rs. 10 Lakh as training grant to each such school annually based on annual academic performance of the students in class 12th”

To a specific query of the Committee regarding services of JCOs and NCOs as Principals and instructors in the schools due to acute shortage of teachers in Sainik schools, a representative of Sainik Schools submitted as under: Firstly, thanks for recognizing the potential of the JCOs, NCOs of the Army Educational Corps. I am sure we have the same kind of potential with the Air Force and the Navy counterparts as well.