Construction of Rashtriya Swamsevak Sangh' s first Sainik School

MEERUT: In a first, Rashtriya Swamsevak Sangh (RSS) will set up its first Sainik School in village Khandvaya in Shikarpur tehsil of Bulandshahr with an aim to train students to serve in Army. The residential school from class VI to XII will be affiliated to CBSE and will operate under the aegis of Vidya Bharti Uchh Shiksha Sansthan, the educational wing of Sangh.

The school, set up with an aim to "narrow down the shortfall of 10,000 officers in the Forces" will come up at a cost of Rs 40 crores and the entire financial burden will be borne by "donations", revealed project incharge and Regional Convenor of Western Region (West UP and Uttarakhand) of RSS, Ajay Goel.

Goel, who himself is an educationist retired as principal from IP PG College, Bulandshahr, said, "Vidya Bharti already runs 20,000 schools in the country but the main aim to erect Sainik School is to train pupils to serve in the Army and on the lines of government-run Sainik Schools in every state our students will also compete with others at Service Selection Board of the government. Besides, these students who will remain in the school 24X7 will also be equipped with Nationalistic fervour with a sole aim to serve the country. So, even if some of them do not get enrolled in the Armed Forces, at least they pass out as responsible citizens with immense love for their country and its culture."

The school will be ready next year and has been named after the 4th Sanghchalak of RSS - Rajju Bhaiyya. Revealing further details, Goel said, "The school will have provision to accommodate 1,120 students out of which 56 seats will be reserved for the wards of slain soldiers' families. The construction work on Rajju Bhaiya Sainik Vidya Mandir is in full swing and we should be able to hold our first session with 160 students in class VI from academic year 2020-2021. This is just the beginning. We will set up many such schools in future with assistance from society itself."

The school is coming up in Shikarpur town of Bulandshahr for which the 32 bigha land has been donated by Rajpal Singh. "It is my privlege to be part of this great process. Rajju Bhaiya's family belonged to Shikarpur and the 4th Sarsanghchalak of RSS spent considerable time here."

