All Sainik schools will now admit girls: PM

Source: Indian Express

What is the News?

The Prime Minister has announced that all Sainik Schools in the country will now be open for girls also. The move to admit girls at Sainik Schools all across India comes as part of the government’s push to increase the participation of women in the Indian armed forces.

About Sainik Schools:

• Sainik schools are run by the Sainik Schools Society which is under the administrative control of the Ministry of Defence. 
• Aim: The aim of establishing Sainik schools was to prepare the students from an early age for their entry into the Indian armed forces.
• Origin: These schools are the brainchild of VK Krishna Menon who conceived this idea in 1961.
• Students are selected for Sainik Schools through an annual entrance examination. They are inducted at the middle-school level.
• At present, 33 Sainik schools are operating in the country. A provision for setting up 100 new Sainik Schools in partnership with NGOs, private schools and states was announced in the Union Budget for 2021-22.

Note: As a pilot project, Sainik School in Mizoram’s Chhingchhip district began admitting girls from October 2019.