Should Sainik School Bhubaneswar be relocated to a rural area; or augmented (say with a military academy or an armed forces medical school or a DRDO lab, etc.) to have better land utilization
December 16th, 2011
An article in Telegraph mentions that Sainik School Bhubaneswar occupies an area of 220 acres. It is located next to Utkal University in a prime location. At present the Bhubaneswar Sainik School has a capacity of 525 students. Its current faculty strength is 28 and it has an adminsitrative staff of 14. It probably has some more maintenance staff.
While the achievement of Sainik School Bhubaneswar has been very good (see excerpt below)
Achievements: So far approximately 600 cadets have become officers in the defence forces through NDA alone. In addition many cadets have got commission through other entries. This school also has been honoured by the achievements of its cadets through various civil services like IAS-14, IPS-07 and allied services – 09. Several have become ministers in the State of Orissa and Nagaland. The cadets making foray in the fields of medical, engineering, merchant navy are plenty and doing the school proud. The highest ranking officers are two major generals and one Air Vice Marshal.
I think the 220 acres in a prime location in a capital city is a gross under utilization of the land for a residential school of 525 students, 28 teachers and 14 academic staffs, unless one explains it away as a green cover.
Following excerpts tell the story of how the Sainik Schools were set up.
Salient Features of Sainik Schools
(a) The entire capital expenditure on land and buildings is met by the respective State Govts who are also required to provide funds for maintenance of infrastructure and for new infrastructural projects. The State Govts also award scholarships on merit cum means basis.
…
Role of Ministry of Defence in Sainik Schools
(a) Ministry of Defence provides scholarships to wards of defence personnel including ex-servicemen. In addition Ministry of Defence provides central assistance to those students who are awarded state scholarships. The sharing of expenditure on fees/scholarships among Central Govt, State Govt and parents is decided by the BOG from time to time.
(b) With effect from financial year 2003-04, the Ministry of Defence has implemented a scheme under which burden of fee and dietary charges are being shared between the Ministry of Defence and the parents in the ratio 3 : 1. Under this scheme all boys studying in Sainik Schools get financial assistance of about Rs.9,000 – 10,000 every year. The scheme also provides incentive to boys who join the NDA by refunding.
Achievements of Sainik Schools a) Aims – So far these schools have contributed about 7,000 officers to the three services. Its students today occupy important positions in all spheres of national activities. Since the schools were founded in early 60s, its cadets have now reached the level of Generals in the Army and equivalent Ranks in the Navy and Air Force.
b) Results – These schools send about 130-160 cadets to the NDA every year. As far as CBSE results are concerned the schools are performing creditably. All efforts are on to improve the results qualitatively.
c) Quality Education – In most of the States Sainik Schools are the only residential institutions and that too located in isolated areas. Thus these schools have been able to contribute significantly to development of education in backward areas and also in carrying out backward area educational integration.
Considering that the state government gave the land and buildings to the school and in most states these schools are in isolated areas, I think it may be worth pondering if the:
(a) Sainik School Bhubaneswar should be relocated to a backward area where it can contribute positively to the area and the existing 220 acres be used more productively; perhaps by turning it to a small Knowledge City, say similar to the 381 acres Knowledeg City in Mohali.
OR
(b) augment the current use by using part of the 220 acres of Sainik School Bhubaneswar to establish a military academy or an armed forces medical school or a DRDO lab, etc. to have better land utilization.
There are many examples similar to (b). For example, IISER Pune is established on NCL (National Chemical Laboratory) land.
This may be a good time to ponder about options (a) and (b) as it is reported that:
The 220-acres of land given by the government for the existing Sainik School in Bhubaneswar established in 1962 continues to be under the general administration department of the government.
Entry Filed under: Bhubaneswar-Cuttack-Puri- Khurda area (1),Sainik School, Bhubaneswar
9 Writeup
1. Col (retd) Samir Lenka | December 16th, 2011 at 2:06 pm
First & foremost the highest ranking officer product of Sainik School is not a Major General. There are four Lt Gen & two Air Marshals from the school.
Second, the thought of shifting the Sainik School is evidently borne out of a need to claim the prime property rather than the need to move the school to a better environment.
Third, ‘220 acres for 525 students…. an under-utilisation’, may hold good for an ordinary day boarding school. A boarding school with the purpose of acting as a feeder institute for the Indian Armed Forces does need the kind of land it has for purpose of training/ sports facilities. Green cover is no less important.
Fourth, going by these argument, we shall soon be asking all our cantonments in cities (the only, much needed clean & green environmen,t in most cities) to be shifted out to rural areas.
Having said all this against shifting Sainik School Bhubaneswar from its present location, it may still be justified to shift but only if one finds a purpose of vital importance. So if you need this land…1. Formulate the need (of this land) for an institute of national/regional importance. 2. Build suitable modern infrastructure for the Sainik School, not in a rural area, but in the fringes of the city that provides good connectivity. 3. NO compromise on the acreage.
2. P.K.Hazary | December 16th, 2011 at 2:19 pm
I think the area is of 144 acres and not 220 acres. the point of shifting the school to a rural area would be inconvenient for overall development of the students. Since infrastructure is already available and utilised for over 40 years, one should not think of any shifting of the coveted institution elsewhere.
3. Chitta Baral | December 16th, 2011 at 10:30 pm
As per http://www.ssboba.in/BriefHistory.asp it is 232 acres.
4. Chitta Baral | December 16th, 2011 at 10:33 pm
One can look at http://wikimapia.org/#lat=20.3134191&lon=85.8389497&z=16&l=0&m=b to get an idea of how the land is used.
5. sonu patel | December 17th, 2011 at 3:14 am
i do agree very much with what Col (retd) Samir Lenka sir said.
6. Samir | December 17th, 2011 at 6:53 pm
All this argument is just another eyewash to sell the land. Just because people in defence forces never object to anything does not mean one can do whatever they want. First let them atleast utilise fully the land given to them in Utkal University and other such regional colleges and then talk about the Sainik School. Going with this logic all schools however old and legendary they may be should be shifted out to remote places so that the prime land can be sold off. And I don’t understand what does the discussion has to do with the school being in a prime location. Has anybody looked after the school from the state departments. Rather than talking about improving standards and giving facilities to the school the people in the state departments are more interested in looking selling of the land there an earning some side money. And to top it all all the data given in this page by the so called board is just copy paste work from some other older page.
7. SUSIL CHANDRA MOHANTA | December 19th, 2011 at 2:58 pm
I do not know whose bright idea it is to shift the Sainik School Bhubaneswar to a rural area !!! But its is a great thought with designs to acquire the prime property which the school occupies.
Whats the problem in the present premises?
Yes one can think of improving infrastructures in the school for imparting better education and training, kike a swimmimg pool, a horse stable with trained horses and trainers, a cycling track around the school campus, providing cycles to all the students etc.
NO NEED TO SHIFT THE SCHOOL.
8. Prasant Mohanty | December 23rd, 2011 at 1:45 am
I also agree with Col Lenka. there is no point of shifting the school from the current location. Rural place means it will be very inconvenient for the students as well as for the parents who plan to visit their kid once in a month.
9. Arun Padhi | April 24th, 2012 at 4:42 pm
No need for relocation. Govt has approved for another sainik school at Sambalpur/Burla corridor!!!! Thx.