Sainik School students in trouble as TS, AP govts delay scholarships

- 2 reputed Sainik Schools located in AP

- 67% of total seats reserved for AP, TS children

- Estimated 13,000 students try to get 60 to 80 seats

- Scholarships depend on marks of student and income of parent

Visakhapatnam: The enthusiasm to launch an exciting career in the military by several talented and ambitious students, who could get a seat in the two reputed Sainik Schools located in Andhra Pradesh, is dampened due to inordinate delay in release of scholarship towards part of fees paid by them.

In the two schools 67 per cent of total seats are reserved for young children from AP and Telangana. Reliable sources told Bizz Buzz that while Telangana Government has sanctioned but not released the amount towards scholarship since 2019 to the tune of Rs 2.5 crore, its counterpart in AP has to give Rs 2.5 crore for the past two years. While 33 per cent of seats in Sainik Schools at Korukonda Vizianagaram district and Kalikiri in Chittoor district of AP admit students from other States, remaining seats are given to AP and Telangana. The reservation for the two Telugu-speaking States will continue till 2024 as part of understanding at the time of bifurcation in 2014.

The scholarship amount is finalised in different slabs depending on the marks of students and income of parents/guardians.

The two schools have heavy demand for seats in entrance tests conducted pan India. For instance, for Korukonda school, considered the most sought-after school, an estimated 13,000 students try hard to get 60 to 80 seats. “Its unfortunate that the brightest students are unable to get scholarships on time, forcing their parents who mostly hail from poor socio-economic background, suffer a lot. Some of them even dropout,” a parent said on condition of anonymity.

There is a quota of seats for personnel of defence services. The Ministry of Defence also gives scholarships to some of the meritorious students. Sainik School, Korukonda is located over a sprawling 206-acre campus. There are 33 Sainik Schools spread across the country with the mandate to prepare young boys academically, physically and mentally to get inducted into defence services and occupy responsible positions in various walks of life.

While Sainik School at Korukonda was set up in 1962, the second school in AP at Kalikiri, the 25th school in India, was established in 2014. All the schools function under the control of Sainik School Society, Ministry of Defence.