On January 1, 2024, India witnessed a historic moment as the country’s first Sainik school for girls was inaugurated in Vrindavan by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. The school is affiliated with CBSE and will provide training to students under the guidance of ex-servicemen.
The school will have 120 seats and will admit girls from classes 6 to 12. The aim of the school is to prepare girls for a career in the armed forces and to promote gender equality in the defence sector.
Sainik schools are run by the Sainik Schools Society under the Ministry of Defence and follow a strict military-style discipline and curriculum. There are 33 such schools in the country, but until now, they were only open for boys.
The first-ever all-girls Sainik school in the country was started as a pilot project in Mizoram’s Chhingchhip in 2019. On the occasion of 75th Independence Day in 2021, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that all Sainik schools will be open for girls as well.
The inauguration of the Vrindavan Sainik school for girls is a significant step towards empowering women and creating a more inclusive and diverse defence force.