FROM JUST SIX in 2018 to 55 in 2020 and 315 in 2021, the enrolment of girls in Sainik Schools — the six-decade-old institution set up with the “primary aim of preparing boys” for the National Defence Academy — has been steadily rising.
In what started as a pilot project in 2018 in the Sainik School at Chhingchip in Mizoram, the induction of girl students expanded further in 2020, with five more schools — two in Karnataka and one each in Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Chhattisgarh — turning co-educational by admitting 55 girls
This year, with all 33 Sainik Schools across 24 states and one Union Territory shedding their only male status, 315 more girls secured admission after clearing the All-India Sainik School Entrance Exam which tests a candidate’s skills in Mathematics, English and General Knowledge.
Vaibhavi Dalai is among the 10 new entrants in Sainik School, Bhubaneswar, aspiring to join the Indian Air Force. “There are a lot of extracurricular activities like horse riding and swimming which I did not have in my previous school. I love the school campus and have a great time studying and participating in all activities,” Vaibhavi said, gearing up to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi at a Jhansi event next week which will be attended by girl cadets from Sainik Schools across the country.