Kendriya Vidyalaya

The system came into being in 1963 under the name Central Schools. Later, the name was changed to Kendriya Vidyalaya. It is a non-profit organization. Its schools are all affiliated to the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE). Its objective is to educate children of the Indian Defence Services personnel who are often posted to remote locations. With the army starting its own Army Public Schools, the service was extended but not restricted to all central government employees.

A uniform curriculum is followed by schools all over India. By providing a common syllabus and system of education, the Kendriya Vidyalayas are intended to ensure that the children of government employees do not face education disadvantages when their parents are transferred from one location to another. The schools have been operational for more than 50 years.[1]

Campus of Kendriya Vidyalaya, Rohtak

The Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan oversees the functioning of the schools with its headquarters in New Delhi. The administration of this body is based on levels. The chairman of Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan is always the Minister in Charge of Human Resource Development of the Government of India; the deputy chairman is Minister of State of MHRD. The real working power lies with the Commissioner of KVS; there are additional commissioners to accompany the Commissioner in the administration of KVS in different fields. The head of a KVS region is Deputy Commissioner accompanied by an Assistant Commissioner. There are individual principals of every KV administrating the schools along with a Vice-Principal, Head Master/ Mistress.

The Vidyalaya also has several committees for the holistic development of the students and well maintenance of the school compound and system. The most important one is the VMC (Vidyalaya Management Committee), which is the head of all committees.

Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan Headquarters, Delhi

As of October 2020, there were 1,245 schools named Kendriya Vidyalayas. It is one of the largest school chains in world with 1240 schools in India and three operated abroad.[2] A total of 1,315,157 students (as of 6 December 2019) and 48,314 employees were on the rolls (as of 6 December 2019). [3]These were divided among 25 regions, each headed by a deputy commissioner.[4] The three Kendriya Vidyalayas outside India is in Kathmandu, Moscow, and Tehran. They are intended for children of Indian embassy staff and other expatriate employees of the government of India.[5]

One school in Tsimalakha, Bhutan, was transferred to the Bhutanese government, thus ceasing to be a Kendriya Vidyalaya (then known as Indo-Bhutan Central School (IBCS)) in 1989, after one of the major Indo-Bhutan projects (the Chukhha Hydal power project) was near completion. Indian government employees were gradually transferred back to their own country.

All the schools share a common syllabus and offer bilingual instruction, in English and Hindi. They are co-educational. Sanskrit is taught as a compulsory subject from classes VI to VIII and as an optional subject until class XII. Students in classes VI to VIII could study the German language until November 2014, when the scheme was discontinued. But was again re continued and is available in some schools until class 10. In Moscow, students are given an opportunity to choose French or Russian as their third or second language.

Tuition fees are charged for Kendriya Vidyalaya students have to pay the school development fund (Vidyalaya Vikas Nidhi), with the proceeds spent on the development of that particular school. Students from Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes and children of KVS employees are exempt from tuition fees. Girls who are their parents' only child from class VI onward are exempt from tuition and school development fund.[6]

KVS is also having the MP Quota which involves some special provision under which admissions are given.[7] Members of Lok Sabha & Rajya Sabha can recommends a few number of students for the admission. But these Special Provisions only works when KVS is located in the constituency of the MP. All members of parliament could recommend up to six students from their constituency for admission to a Kendriya Vidyalaya. From the academic session 2016-17, the quota has been increased to 10 students.[8]

The Quality Council of India (QCI) has accredited three of KV schools: KV RK Puram, KV IIT Powai and KV Bhinga.[9] The Kendriya Vidyalaya Gole Market school in Central Delhi has earned notice for upgrading to "E-Classroom" and e-Learning teaching processes with the implementation of Smart Boards in the classroom. This school produces an annual school magazine called Vidyalaya Patrika.[10]

• List of Kendriya Vidyalayas

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