Sainiki schools have failed to maintain quality: Maharashtra Government

NEW DELHI: Maharashtra Government has set up seven-member committee to review the functioning of the 38 “sainiki schools” in the state that operate with government aid but are managed by private entities. These schools were set up after a decision in September 1995 by the then Shiv Sena-BJP alliance government in the state. A Government Resolution on Friday made it clear that these institutions have failed to maintain the required standard and quality.

“These schools have a meagre share in sending their students to the National Defence Academy (NDA) and it has also been noticed that they do not provide the requisite military training and guidance to their students,” the GR said. The committee will evaluate the current policies and propose measures to improve outcomes. Maharashtra has two government-run Sainik Schools, one at Satara (established in 1961) and another at Chandrapur (started in 2019), besides these 38 government-aided but privately managed sainiki schools, having around 12,400 students.

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Panel to review Sainiki schools

Joining the armed forces, with admission to the NDA, is considered the benchmark of the schools’ success. The committee will be headed by the Joint Director of the State Secondary and Higher Secondary Board’s Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar division. The committee is expected to examine how the state government’s revised sainiki schools policy, implemented in October 2024, is functioning and suggest changes needed to improve the performance of these 38 schools.

The GR, issued by the school education and sports department, comes amid rising concerns over the low percentage of students from the 38 sainiki schools qualifying for NDA, the prestigious defence training institute located at Khadakwasla near Pune. The committee members are expected to inspect the schools, examine the challenges they face, and submit a comprehensive report within the stipulated timeframe, an official said.