A first for UT: Sainik School coming up in City Beautiful

In a move aimed at expanding the access to quality education and nurturing future leaders of the nation, the Chandigarh Administration has decided to have Sainik School here. The school will be set up in collaboration with the Sainik School Society (SSS) under the Union Ministry of Defence (MoD).

The development assumes significance as this will not only be the first Sainik School in Chandigarh but also the first such institution to operate under government — Government Sainik School. All other such institutions in the country are operating in the private sector.

The upcoming school in the city will also be developed as Model Sainik School. Of the total 41 such schools in the country, one is in Nabha (Punjab), three in Haryana (Rohtak, Kurukshetra and Fatehabad) and two in Himachal Pradesh (Hamirpur and Solan).

The brainchild of Punjab Governor and Chandigarh Administrator Gulab Chand Kataria, the city’s maiden Sainik school will come up on the sprawling 16-acre campus of the Government Model Senior Secondary School (GMSSS) in Sector 23 here.

The UT Education Department has submitted an online application to the SSS with the proposal to convert the GMSSS-23 into a Sainik school.

The UT Education Secretary, Prerna Puri told The Tribune that Union Minister of State for Defence Sanjay Seth conveyed to the Chandigarh Administrator on June 2 that the Centre has approved the setting up of 100 new Sainik schools in the partnership mode with NGOs/private/government schools. These schools will come up in a graded manner, starting from Class VI onwards with an effort to cover as many states and UTs as possible, under the aegis of the SSS in the country.

“Some of the states/UTs either have not applied for or applied but none of their applications was found fit by the approval committee,” the MoS Defence wrote in a demi-official letter, while urging the UT Administration to apply online for approval of the new Sainik school in Chandigarh by July 14.

Seth said this initiative would provide an opportunity to the students of Chandigarh and its nearby areas to undergo quality education based on the ethos of Sainik schools, which will help them become disciplined citizens and future leaders in different spheres of life, including the defence forces.

Acting swiftly on the proposal, the Chandigarh Administration constituted a committee of the School Education Department to work out and complete the modalities for applying and establishing a Sainik school in the city.

It has submitted a preliminary report with recommendations on the suitability of the sites and requirements for further action.

Director School Education (DSE) Harsuhinder Pal Singh Brar, who chaired the first meeting of the committee, disclosed that the proposed school will be affiliated to the SSS to create a system that combines academic rigour with a degree of discipline. There will be increased focus on value-based education, which will enable the children to develop pride in the rich culture and heritage of the nation.

He said the admissions to the school will be conducted through All-India Sainik Schools Entrance Examination (AISSEE) held annually by the National Testing Agency (NTA). “The school will provide all the required facilities as per the norms of the SSS,” Brar added.

“It will be an exemplar of quality school education in India — a model of excellence. The idea is that this school will serve as a benchmark for quality education, infrastructure, governance, extra-curricular activities and learning outcomes,” he said.

CLASSES FROM NEXT SESSION: GUV

"We are optimistic that our first Sainik school will begin classes from the next academic session. The initiative will meet the growing demand for a Sainik school in Chandigarh. It will focus on effective physical, psycho-social, spiritual and intellectual development of students, so they become the youth with leadership qualities."

said Gulab Chand Kataria, Punjab Governor-cum-UT Administrator

HERITAGE BUILDING

The GMSSS-23 building, established in 1955, holds significant heritage value as it was among the first few structures constructed at the beginning of Chandigarh’s development. At that time, construction across the city was still in progress, so this building served a critical temporary role. The main hall functioned as the first office space for eight key departments, including sanitation, design, and others. It essentially operated as a multipurpose office hub.

The architect of the building was Jane Drew, a notable figure in the design of Chandigarh.

The current lecture hall, one toilet and the staff room were once part of a BEd college. In fact, this building was shared by three educational institutions at one time.