The Sainik Schools are a system of public schools in India established and managed by the Sainik Schools Society under Ministry of Defence (MoD). They were conceived in 1961 by V. K. Krishna Menon, the then Defence Minister of India, to rectify the regional and class imbalance amongst the officer cadre of the Indian Military. The primary objective of the Sainik Schools is to prepare students academically, mentally and physically for entry into the National Defence Academy (NDA) and Indian Naval Academy (INA).[1][2] Sainik Schools, along with 1 RIMC and 5 RMS (Rashtriya Military Schools), contribute 25% to 30% officer cadets to NDA and INA.[3] As of 2021, there were 33 Sainik Schools, and MoD will establish 100 more boarding Sainik Schools in public–private partnership (PPP) mode.
MoD run Sainik Schools as joint venture with the respective state governments. MoD provides annual funding, and serving officers on deputation to school. State governments provide the land, infrastructure, and other teaching and administrative employees.
Sainik Schools follow the "CBSE Plus" by using CBSE curriculum while additionally aiming to prepare children for entry into NDA and INA. Admission to Sainik Schools is granted at class VI and class IX. The reservation policy caters for SC/ST, domicile of the respective states and the wards of Armed Forces employees and ex-servicemen.
Sainik Schools are residential schools for students, providing Public School Education with Military bias. The schools are affiliated to Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), New Delhi and are supported by Central and State funding.
The scheme to establish Sainik Schools was introduced in 1961 with the primary aim of preparing students academically, physically and mentally for entry into the National Defence Academy.
Admission is based on an entrance test comprising Maths, GK (Sc & Sst), Language and Intelligence for Class VI; Maths, Intelligence, English ,General Science and Social Studies for Class IX, followed by Interview and medical examination.
Sainik Schools admit students in classes VI & IX on the basis of their merit in the Entrance Examination and an Interview and in Class XI students are admitted on the basis of the marks scored in Class X Board examination. Girl candidates are now eligible for admission to Class VI in all Sainik Schools.
| Class-VI | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ser No. | Subjects | Questions and Marks | Marks | ||
| (i) | Maths | 50x3 | 150 | ||
| (ii) | GK (Sc & Sst) | 25x2 | 50 | ||
| (iii) | Language | 25x2 | 50 | ||
| (iv) | Intelligence | 25x2 | 50 | ||
| Total | 300 | ||||
| Class-IX | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ser No. | Subjects | Questions and Marks | Marks | ||
| (i) | Maths | 50 x 4 | 200 | ||
| (ii) | Intelligence | 25 x 2 | 50 | ||
| (iii) | English | 25 x 2 | 50 | ||
| (iv) | General Science | 25x2 | 50 | ||
| (v) | Social Studies | 25x2 | 50 | ||
| Total | 400 | ||||
The prospectus and application form are available in the month of October every year and can be obtained from the respective school where the student wants to take admission. The application process is online at https://aissee.nta.nic.in/.
Date of entrance examination : All India Sainik Schools Entrance Examination is held in the month of January every year . The National Testing Agency (NTA) would be conducting the All-India Sainik Schools Entrance Examination (AISSEE)-2024 on 21 Jan 2024 (Sunday) for admissions to Classes VI and IX in 33 Sainik Schools spread across 23 States and one Union Territory. The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has approved 19 New Sainik Schools, which operate in partnership with NGOs/private schools/State Governments. These approved New Sainik Schools function under the aegis of Sainik Schools Society. Admission to the Sainik School stream of Class VI of the New Sainik Schools, for the academic year 2024-25 is also through AISSEE-2024. The online applications closes on 16 December 2023. Candidates are required to submit their applications after registering on the website https://aissee.nta.nic.in/. A detailed information bulletin is also available on the NTA site- www.nta.ac.in.
Sainik Schools follow the "CBSE Plus" by using CBSE curriculum while additionally aiming to prepare children for entry into NDA and INA. Admission to Sainik Schools is granted at class VI and class IX. The reservation policy caters for SC/ST, domicile of the respective states and the wards of Armed Forces employees and ex-servicemen.
Students seeking admission in Class VI should be 10-12 yrs of age as
on 31 March in the year admission is being sought.
Students seeking admission for Class IX should be aged 13-15 yrs as
on 31 March in the year admission is being sought.
Thus, 49.50% of the seats in Sainik School are reserved on the above mentioned lines. Out of the balance 50.50% of the seats in the Home State/ UT and Other States/ UT quota, 25% of the seats are reserved for the wards of defence personnel and ex-servicemen. In “Other States/ UT” quota, seats will be allotted in each category as per merit, subject to a maximum limit of 25% of vacancies in the category for any State or Union Territory. In Class VI of each Sainik School, 10% of the total vacancies or 10 seats, whichever is more, are reserved for girls.