Center dismisses report of new Sainik school allotted to BJP, RSS

The ministry said more than 500 applications had been received and reviewed.

New Delhi:

The Defense Ministry on Wednesday dismissed reports that New Sainik schools were assigned to institutions based on political or ideological affiliation.

Online media platform Journalists Collective claimed in a report that the government handed over 62% of new Sainik schools to politicians associated with the Sangh Parivar, the BJP and its allies .

“Articles appearing in some sections of the media suggest that new Sainik schools are being allocated to institutions based on their political or ideological background. Such insinuations are unfounded,” the Defense Ministry said in a statement.

The agency operating the new Sainik school is said to have gone through a rigorous screening process.

“The plan for New Sainik School is well thought out. The selection process itself is rigorous, with checks and balances in place to ensure continued compliance with targets, and strong incentives to provide financial support to deserving students,” the ministry said.

“The political or ideological affiliation or other aspects of the applicant institution will not influence the selection process,” it said.

“Attempts to politicize the program or distort its objectives and implementation through defamation are baseless and misleading,” the ministry added.

In the first phase, the government launched a plan to establish 100 new Sainik schools across the country in collaboration with NGOs, state governments and the private sector in the education sector.

The ministry said more than 500 applications had been received and reviewed.

“So far, 45 schools have been approved. These include existing schools and proposed schools,” it said.

“The approval of these schools is provisional. Continued approval is based on annual inspections by the School Inspection Committee. Therefore, the scheme provides for continued compliance with the laid down standards,” it said.

In October 2021, the federal cabinet approved 100 government and private sector schools to join the Sainik Schools Association under the Ministry of Defence.

The ministry said it will follow a rigorous evaluation process to review applicants.

Explaining the process, it said a school evaluation committee was constituted with the concerned district magistrate as chairman and principals of existing Sainik schools/Navodaya Vidyalayas nearby.

“The physical inspection and verification of certificates of the applied schools are carried out in accordance with the prescribed standards,” it said.

“The final recommendation will be given by the approval committee, chaired by Joint Secretary (Sainik Schools Association) and CBSE Secretary and an eminent educationist as members,” the ministry said.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)