NAVODAYA SCHOOLS

From Sampath’s Desk:

 




 

NAVODAYA SCHOOLS

 

In the Centre-sponsored ‘NAVODAYA’ schools, the admission fee is just ₹25. For grades 1 to 8, no fee is collected. From Grade 9 to 12, only a small fee is collected. For the wards of parents belonging to SC/ST categories, school staff and ex-servicemen as well as for the differently-abled children, there is no fee. Last year (2019), out of a total of 14183 students studied in Navodaya schools, who wrote the NEET, 11857 cleared it. 7000 had already joined medical education.   

 

Be that as it may, in September 2017, the Madras High Court (Madurai Bench) urged the Tamil Nadu state government to allow the opening of Jawahar Navodya Vidhayalayas  (JNV), in short, ‘Navodaya’ schools. JNV was the brainchild of our former Prime Minister late Rajiv Gandhi, initiated and implemented beginning 1986. Successive governments in Tamil Nadu state have been avoiding giving permission to establish Navodaya schools in the state for one reason or another, the main one being ‘fear of imposition of Hindi’. The Central government had already categorically stated before the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court (Madurai Bench) that there would be no imposition of Hindi. After that, the Court, on 11.9.2017 (Monday), urged the Tamil Nadu government to allow the opening of Navodaya schools in the state as many can benefit from it. Thus the High Court order had already cleared the decks that prevented the opening of JNVs for 34 years in Tamil Nadu. Still, there is no sign JNVs seeing the light of the day in Tamil Nadu. 

 

When the opening of more new schools commensurate with the needs is increasingly felt now than ever before, and considering the factor of funds for education, this will certainly prove to be a boon and a ‘shot in the arm’ for the state for providing additional educational infrastructure facilities benefiting the children of the state.

 

The government’s fear of imposition of Hindi thus stands allayed and dispelled. Only those who are interested in pursuing education in Navodaya schools (where Tamil, Hindi, and English are taught) are only going to join these schools. There is no compulsion element. Even now CBSE schools are there in the state where Hindi is also taught in addition to Tamil and English. Those who don’t want to learn Hindi can very well join the state syllabus schools.

 

The main objective behind the opening of JNVs is to identify talented children from rural areas regardless of their socio-economic backgrounds and provide them with quality education. Schools collect nominal fees and 75% of the seats are reserved for rural children. They follow the three-language formula - English, Hindi, and the local language. Except in Tamil Nadu, ‘Navodaya Vidyalayas’ had already been established in all the states across the country. It is not prudent for the state to miss the bus. When all other states have Navodaya schools including the southern states, it is only pragmatic, sensible, and logical for Tamil Nadu also to have them. Why should Tamil Nadu alone lag behind?

 

In the Court, the Central government had contended that while 30 percent of class nine children, who migrated from one linguistic area to a school in another linguistic area for a year following the migration policy of JNV, they were not deprived of the opportunity to learn the Tamil language. Under the scheme, the Central Government had sanctioned  ₹30 crores for constructing a permanent school building for each district. The state, of course, has to allocate 30 acres of land for the purpose. Unlike the Kendriya Vidyalayas (KVs) which mostly benefit children in urban areas, Navodaya schools will benefit the rural children also.  

 

Needless to say, Navodaya schools, if established, will complement the educational needs of the state. It will only be beneficial for Tamil Nadu to have the Navodaya Schools besides the state syllabus schools.

 

 R.SAMPATH

7/8/2020

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