On Sunday, August 15, marking the occasion of India’s 75th Independence Day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi revealed a Golden Opportunity and a great announcement. The announcement was that all Sainik schools in the country will be commencing the admissions of girl cadets. The announcement comes on the back of a successful pilot project that took place in one Sainik School in Mizoram’s Chhingchhip, which started admitting girl cadets for the academic session 2018-19.
PM Modi’s Announcement
The PM during the ceremony said that, “I used to get messages from lakhs of women children that they want to study in Sainik schools. Today, the government has decided that doors of every Sainik School will now be open for the girl child.”
Check the tweet here:
We must ensure that women have equal representation in every sphere with a feeling of security.
Recently, we started an experiment in Mizoram of opening Sainik Schools for girls.
Hereon, doors of every Sainik School will now be open for our girl child: PM @narendramodi pic.twitter.com/jdWcPXdmb4
— BJP (@BJP4India) August 15, 2021
What are Sainik Schools and how they contribute to the Indian Army
Sainik Schools Society operates Sainik Schools and these schools are under the administrative control of the Ministry of Defence. The idea behind Sainik Schools was to set up the pillars for future Army personnel from a young age. The idea for establishing such schools was framed by statesman VK Krishna Menon, India’s Defence Minister between 1957 and 1962.
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Sainik Schools Across India
33 Sainik Schools are currently operational across Indian states. Uttar Pradesh has the maximum number with three Sainik Schools while several states including Rajasthan, Haryana, Jammu and Kashmir, Bihar, Maharashtra, Odisha and Andhra Pradesh have two each.
Admissions Details and Criteria In Sainik School
Admission in Sainik Schools is achieved through an All-India Sainik School Entrance Examination (AISSEE). The school arranges the education according to the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) curriculum. Admissions to class 6 and class 9 are done on the basis of this entrance test.
For cadets joining from class 11, the criteria are marks obtained in the Board exams in class 10.The rules and protocols of Sainik Schools are in line with the strict regimens followed by military academies.
Students will need to apply for the AISSEE by filling a form online and uploading necessary documents such as:
- Birth certificate
- Aadhar card
- Caste certificate
- Scanned copy of the photograph of the applicant
- Scanned copy of the signature of the applicant
- Domicile certificate
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New Schemes in Context Of Admissions and Development of Sainik School
During March 2021 Lok Sabha session by Shripad Naik, the Minister of State for Defence, a new scheme to set up more such schools under a public-private collaboration, was made. The minister had also revealed that all Sainik Schools will be opened to girl cadets for admission from the academic session, 2021-2022.
In the Budget 2021, the Union Minister of Finance, Nirmala Sitharaman had revealed that the government plans to establish 100 new Sainik Schools under the scheme.
How this Announcement will Be Helpful to Women In Indian Army
In 2020, PM Modi had announced that women officers in the armed forces who joined via the short service commission (SSC) way, will be given the option to apply for permanent commission in the army. In 2021, permanent commission was granted to 424 out of the 615 women officers who were considered.
Before the commission system, the Indian Army had only 85 women officers in its ranks. Furthermore, there are no women officers commanding major units in the Indian Army.
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Gender Ratio in Indian Army
The gender ratio stands around 0.56% women in the Indian Army. Deducting the medical wing where women have served in the army for decades, the institution has 6,807 women officers in its ranks.
Sainik Schools typically provide 25 to 30 % of the officer cadets who join the National Defence Academy (NDA). As of July 2021, more than 90,000 posts are vacant in the Indian Army while there is a shortage of 7,900 officers.
What the Army Veteran Had to Say
Lieutenant General Rajendra Nimbhorkar (retd), who played a pivotal role in the execution of the 2016 surgical strike, and was one of the lead guide in the launch of the Sainik School in Chandrapur, said, “A few Sainik Schools are already admitting girl students starting with Mizoram. It’s a welcome announcement that all Sainik Schools will do that now. This announcement should be immediately followed by infrastructural expansion with new blocks for girl students.”
Further adding he said that, “It will also require separate facilities wherever necessary or necessary changes if the existing facilities are to be shared. Necessary additional appointments of women trainers and medical officers will also be necessary.”
He said that at Sainik Schools in Satara and Chandrapur, they have already taken steps towards admitting girl students. This step will certainly lead to a pool of better prepared girl candidates for joining the Armed Forces.
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