Kendriya Vidyalaya

Kendriya Vidyalaya, (Hindi: केनदीय िवदालय) (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.[1]

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 1073 schools known as Kendriya Vidyalayas, out of which 1070
are in India and three are abroad.[1] A total of 10,33,516 students (as of September 30,
2009) and 49,276 employees (including outsourced) are on rolls (as of November 1,
2009). 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.

Features

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
kendriya vidyalaya ganeshkhind,pune is going on.

Objectives
Kendriya Vidyalaya schools aim to pursue excellence and set pace in the field of
school education. Moreover, they want to initiate and promote experimentation and
innovativeness in education in collaboration with other bodies like the Central Board
of Secondary Education and National Council of Educational Research and Training.
Lastly, the spirit of national integration and a sense of "Indianness" among children is
to be developed.

Lessons against corruption and terrorism

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.