18 New Sainik Schools to admit students through AISSEE 2023 from this academic session

By Vagisha and Sanjay

NEW DELHI: A total of 18 New Sainik Schools (NSSs) under the Sainik School Society (SSS) will be admitting students this year through the All India Sainik Schools Entrance Examination (AISSEE) 2023. These newly approved Sainik Schools will offer admission to only Class 6 for the academic year 2023-24.

AISSEE 2023 was conducted across the country by the National Testing Agency (NTA) on January 8, 2023. AISSEE 2023 results will be announced soon by NTA on its official website. Last year, the exam was conducted on January 9 and results were declared on February 28.

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The admission to the NSSs will be done through two channels – 40 percent route and 60 percent route. 40% of seats in the newly approved Sainik schools are to be filled through e-counseling of AISSEE 2023 qualified candidates. For 60% route, the AISSEE 2023 merit list will be prepared on a school wise basis and students will get admission on the basis of rank secured in the school wise merit list. The 60% route is restricted to those eligible candidates who are already studying in any of the approved New Sainik Schools and are seeking admission to the same school where they are currently studying.

The 18 NSSs are located in different districts of 13 states and Union Territories (UTs) namely - Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Arunachal Pradesh, Haryana, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Andhra Pradesh and Kerala.

The list of 18 New Sainik Schools with which the SSS has already signed an agreement is given below.

The admission of candidates to existing 33 Sainik schools as well as approved New Sainik schools (under the 40% route and 60% route) will be carried out on the basis of e-counseling as per the merit in AISSEE 2023, according to the NTA brochure of the national-level entrance exam.

“Admission to a student in any of approved NSS does not confer any right whatsoever to such student to claim admission or transfer in any of the existing 33 Sainik Schools,” NTA said.

New Sainik Schools

In October 2021, the union cabinet had approved a proposal of setting up 100 New Sainik Schools in partnership mode with NGOs, private schools, state government schools in all state and UTs. By January 2022, a total of 194 schools had applied to get affiliated to the Sainik School Society, the Ministry of Defence said.

In March 2022, the Ministry of Defence had approved the setting up of 21 new Sainik Schools. “Unlike existing Sainik Schools which are purely residential in nature,7 new Sainik Schools are day schools and 14 such new approved schools have residential arrangements,” the Ministry said. However, Sainik School Society managed to sign the agreement with only 12 out of 21 new Sainik Schools in the first round by May 2022. The academic session in 9 New Sainik Schools started from August 1, 2022 and one school in Karnataka commenced classes from September 2022.

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In August 2022, Sainik Schools Society provisionally approved 7 additional schools in the second round of the initiative. The academic session in these 7 provisionally approved schools started by the end of August 2022.

MoS Defence Ajay Bhatt in a written reply to Rajya Sabha on December 19, 2022 said that agreement has been signed by Sainik Schools Society with 18 New Sainik Schools in partnership mode out of which 17 Schools have commenced classes from the academic year 2022-23. From the academic year 2023-24, classes will begin in 18 NSSs.

“While the initiative envisages creation of all necessary infrastructure, faculty and other requirements prescribed for new Sainik Schools in partnership mode by the entity setting up and operating the School, there is no provision of expenditure to be incurred by the government of India towards the same,” he said.

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However, through Sainik Schools Society, the central government provides an annual support on Merit-Cum-Means basis of up to 50% fee support (subject to an upper limit of Rs 40,000 per student per annum) for up to 50% of class - strength (subject to an upper limit of 50 students per class per annum) for the approved new school.

The opening of a new Sainik School on partnership mode is subject to approval based on meeting of qualifying requirements framed for the purpose, compliance to the approved by-laws and signing of agreement with Sainik Schools Society. These new Sainik Schools, besides their affiliation to respective education boards function under the aegis of Sainik Schools Society and follow the rules and regulations for new Sainik schools in partnership mode prescribed by the Society. In addition to their regular affiliated board curriculum, they also impart education of academics alongwith curriculum to the students of Sainik school pattern.