The all-boys Sainik Schools in the country are finally set to enroll girl students.
The schools, run under the aegis of the Defence Ministry and funded by the respective state governments, could start enrolling girls from the next academic session, according to news reports.
To begin with, 10 per cent of the seats will be reserved for girls in the first year. This would be raised to 20 per cent in the next two years.
The move to induct girls followed a persistent demand from several quarters as well as from the state governments to transform these institutions into co-ed schools.
“While the number of women in the Army, Navy and Air Force has multiplied over the years, there was no reason why girls should be kept away from these schools. This realisation has thankfully transformed into a policy to enroll girls,” a Sainik School teacher in Mizoram was quoted by the media as saying.
The school at Chhingchhip in Mizoram was the first in the country to admit girls last year on an experimental basis. The success of the initiative has now encouraged the government to reserve seats for girl students across all the 28 Sainik Schools in the country.
At present, these schools induct girls who are the children of school staff. The curriculum followed is almost identical to other schools, except that Sainik Schools focus more on physical and military-like training activities.
Last year, the Sainik School in Lucknow, the first to be established in the country, enrolled 12 girl students, heralding a new chapter for the school. However, unlike other Sainik Schools, this school is run under the aegis of the Uttar Pradesh government.
