Armed Forces Schools: Officers For Tomorrow

When it comes to blending academics with sports and garnishing it with discipline, the schools under armed forces establishments have proved to be a cut above the rest…

- Pritha Roy Choudhury

Noyonika R. Premnath, a Class 5 student of Army Public School, Dhaula Kuan, Delhi has a dream. She wants to become a doctor in the armed forces when she grows up. “I love going to school. I admire women in uniform and want to be like them one day. I loved it when I performed on the stage and dressed up as Flight Lieutenant Bhawana Kanth, the first woman pilot of the Indian Air Force. I aim to be a doctor in the armed forces,” she says with determination. Noyonika is lucky to be part of the armed forces school system where equal importance is given to academics and extracurricular activities while instilling a sense of discipline.

The armed forces schools spread across the country run classes up to 10+2 as per the CBSE curriculum. These schools can be broadly grouped into Sainik Schools, Rashtriya Military Schools, Army Public Schools, The Air Force Schools, and the Navy Children Schools.

SAINIK SCHOOLS

FAST FACTS

Number of Schools: 34 Type: Residential. For boys Affiliation: CBSE Eligibility: Clearing AISSEE for admission to class VI/IX Mandatory exam after 10+2: NDA Stream offered after class 10: Science Controlling body: Sainik School Society under MHRD

The Sainik Schools were started with the aim of imparting quality education to the rural masses and act as a breeding ground for the National Defence Academy to pick officers to groom for the armed forces. “Since the Sainik Schools are considered the cradle of Indian military leadership, a proper amalgamation of theoretical as well as practical learning is ensured. The cadets are exposed to the latest training aids and online learning tools to ensure a strong foundation,” said Col. PK Sharma, Principal, Sainik School Purulia, West Bengal.