INTRODUCTION

2011-10-23T07:35:00.000-07:00

Kendriya Vidyalaya, (Hindi: केन्द्रीय विद्यालय) (Hindi for Central School) is a system of central government schools under the Ministry of Human Resource Development (India).

The system came into being in 1965 under the name "Central Schools", and has been affiliated with CBSE since then. Later, the name was changed to "Kendriya Vidyalaya". Its original objective was to educate children of the Indian defence services personnel who are often posted to remote places. With the army starting its own Army Public Schools, the service was extended (but not restricted) to all central government employees. The uniform curriculum followed by these schools all over India ensures that the children of government employees do not face educational disadvantages when their parents are transferred by providing a common syllabus and system of education.

A body known as the Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan (Central School Organization) oversees the functioning of these schools. It operates from its headquarters situated in New Delhi.

Presently, there are 1085 schools known as Kendriya Vidyalayas, out of which 1081 are in India and four are located abroad. A total of 10,30,654 students (as of 31.3 2010) and 49,286 employees (including outsourced) are on rolls (as of 1.7.2011). These have been divided amongst 21 regions, each headed by an Assistant Commissioner.

The four Kendriya Vidyalayas outside India are in Kathmandu, Moscow, Tehran, and Kuwait. They are intended for children of Indian Embassy staff and other expatriate employees of Government of India. One school in Tshimalakha, Bhutan, was transferred to the Bhutanese government, thus having ceased 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 and Indian government employees were gradually transferred back to their home country.

There is a common syllabus and bilingual instruction in all schools. They are all co-educational. Sanskrit was taught as a compulsory subject from classes VI to VIII and as an optional subject until class XII, and these days students can elect French, German or the regional language of the resident Indian state. BBC micro computers were introduced as part of the scheme by the government. The quality of teaching is kept reasonably high by an appropriate teacher-pupil ratio. There are no tuition fees for boys up to class VIII, girls up to class XII and SC/ST students and children of KVS employees.

In a bid to showcase its impressive results in national-level examinations, the Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan has started seeking a quality accreditation for its schools. The Quality Council of India (QCI) has accredited two schools so far - KV RKPuram (New Delhi) and KV IIT Powai (Mumbai) and the accreditation of KV Ganeshkhind (Pune), KV Aliganj (Lucknow) and KV Ballygunge (Kolkata) is in the process.

Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan has directed 931 Kendriya Vidyalayas in 18 districts across the country to introduce the Integrity Club, which was first introduced on a pilot basis in New Delhi in October 2008. Some values highlighted are love, compassion, respect, and non-violence.

KVS STUDENTS

INTRODUCTION