No building for Rewari’s Sainik School

Ravinder Saini  

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Sainik School in Rewari has been struggling for proper infrastructure ever since its inception in 2008. The school neither has its own building nor playgrounds for recreational and physical activities of cadets. It is being run in the building of a Government School at Sector 4 in Rewari city and students have to travel around 2.5 km to reach the hostel that too is being provided under a makeshift arrangement.

There is no accommodation for teachers on the school premises and they are residing in rented accommodation in various parts of the city. The facilities of a swimming pool, a horse-riding club and sports such as football, hockey, volleyball and basketball are mandatory in Sainik School but horse riding and a hockey ground are not available for students and they go to the Gymkhana Club for swimming.

Lack of facilities in the school is also affecting the performance of students. Merely seven out of 150 pass-out students during the past three years have managed to clear the interview of the Service Selection Board (SSB) for Indian armed forces. Cadets are lagging behind in sports as well.

For sports activities, students go to Rao Tula Ram Stadium that generally remains occupied by local sportsmen or for other activities.

Around 50 acres have been allotted in Gothra Tappa Khori village for developing the campus of Sainik School but no construction has taken place in the past couple of months due to non-availability of funds. Parents are also unhappy with the school authorities for inadequate facilities.

“Valuable time is wasted every day in ferrying students from the hostel to the school and then to the swimming pool while all such facilities should be available on the school campus. How will they compete with the students of other Sainik Schools when they don’t have adequate facilities for overall personality development,” says a parent.

Lt Commander Shankar Singh (retd) had recently written to Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, urging him to provide all necessary facilities in the school, besides shifting the school to Gothra Tappa Khori village.

“A large number of people from Rewari had served the Indian defence forces and made sacrifices during the Rezang La war in 1962. A large number of them are still serving. The district takes pride in three winners of Maha Vir Chakra, 14 Vir Chakra and other distinguished bravery awards but it is unfortunate that Sainik School in Rewari does not have its own building and other facilities required for students,” he says.

Naresh Chauhan, general secretary of the Rezang La Shaurya Samiti, says the future of students of Sainik School, Rewari, will be affected due to lack of basic infrastructure. “There are 28 Sainik Schools across the nation and all have their own buildings and necessary infrastructure, including hostels, swimming pools, and playgrounds but Sainik School, Rewari, does not have all facilities even after a decade,” Chauhan adds.

Ved Prakash Vidrohi, a former spokesman for the state Congress, says, “Most of the construction work of Sainik School in Gothra Tappa Khori village was completed during the previous Congress government and a budget was also sanctioned for the remaining work but the BJP government has failed to complete the project in four years of its regime”.

Hemant, Executive Engineer of PWD, says the administrative block of Sainik School has been constructed while hostel and other facilities are being developed. The work was stopped over a month ago for want of funds, he adds.

Ravi Mishra, vice-principal of the school, says all facilities in the school are available to all students. “Four students of Sainik School are national players of football. The Chief Minister had invited one of them in view of his marvelous performance in the National Games,” he adds.