Terming education as the most fundamental element in the development of the nation, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh Monday highlighted the efforts being made by Sainik Schools towards ensuring the physical, mental and social development of children, thereby creating a stronger future generation.

He was formally inaugurating the Sainik School in Jaipur in line with the government’s vision to establish 100 new Sainik Schools pan-India in partnership mode. Of the 100 schools, the Ministry of Defence has approved 45 in collaboration with state governments, NGOs and private schools. Forty of these schools have started operations, and the Sainik School, Jaipur is among them.

Mr Singh exuded confidence that the school will prove to be a boon for the patriotic youth of the state as proper guidance and necessary infrastructure will be provided to them to join the Armed Forces and serve the nation. “Rajasthan is a land of bravehearts like Maharana Pratap, Prithviraj Chauhan, Maharaja Surajmal and Sawai Jai Singh. These heroes are a motivation to the younger generation to join the military. This new Sainik school will provide a direction to them to serve their motherland,” he said.

He stated that the PPP-model is generally considered as ‘Public-Private-Partnership’, but the collaboration is now moving away from its standard definition, and is now being seen as ‘Private-Public-Partnership’. “The private sector is now in the driver’s seat of the country’s economy, contributing significantly in agriculture, manufacturing and service sectors. Through these new Sainik schools, the private and public sectors will come together and provide the best education to our future generations,” he added.

He underlined that Sainik schools not only impart academic knowledge, but also inculcate the values of discipline, patriotism and courage. The all-round development of the personality of students inspires them to take the nation forward, he added.

He said the students of Sainik Schools can choose any career and not the Army alone and serve the nation in their own way. He urged the students to never give up and continue working hard to achieve their desired goals.

The 100 new Sainik Schools in partnership mode are apart from the existing 33 Sainik Schools already functioning under the erstwhile pattern. These new schools, besides their affiliation to respective education boards, will function under the aegis of Sainik Schools Society and follow its Rules and Regulations. In addition to their regular affiliated board curriculum, they will impart education of Academic Plus Curriculum to the students of Sainik School pattern.