New Delhi, Oct. 30: The Sainik Schools across the country will introduce 27 per cent reservation in admissions to OBC students from the year 2021-22. A letter regarding this was issued to all Sainik Schools on 13th October 2020.
Sainik Schools act as feeder institutions for preparing cadets for the armed forces. At present there are 31 Sainik Schools functioning in the country under the ministry of defence.
Sainik School reserves 67 per cent seats for the candidates from the state (list A) in which it is located and 33 percent of the seats are reserved for candidates from other states (list B). As per the letter within each list (list A and list B), 15 per cent seats are reserved for Scheduled castes, 7.5 per cent for Scheduled Tribes and 27 per cent for Other Backward Classes-Non Creamy Layer (OBC-NCL). The reservation for OBC-NCL category will be considered as per the central list of Other Backward Classes available in National Commission for Backward Classes (NCBC). Around 13 per cent seats are also reserved for children of service personnel including ex-servicemen (defence category).
Earlier Lok Sabha’s Committee on Welfare of Other Backward Classes in a report tabled in February 2020, had expressed concern over no provision for reservation of OBCs in admission to Sainik Schools, Kendriya Vidyalayas, and Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalas,
The Committee in its report had said that it was not able to comprehend the reasons for not extending the reservation benefits to the OBC candidates in Sainik Schools/Rashtriya Military Schools.
“The Committee feel that the Government cannot take a stand that reservations in admissions for OBCs are not being provided keeping in mind the stiff physical and mental requirements of the Armed Forces, as the children from reserved categories undoubtedly have every capability to meet those requirements at par with the General Category candidates,” it had said.
The report had said that Committee was of the view that implementation of OBC reservation policy in admissions to Sainik Schools and Rashtriya Military Schools will ensure that such needy and deprived sections from the OBC population are given opportunities to take admission in these coveted institutions, who are otherwise not able to compete owing “to their social and educational backwardness.”
The first Sainik School was set up in Satara, Maharashtra, in 1961.
