Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan (KVS) was first established on 15th December 1963. All the schools of Kendriya Vidyalaya are enrolled in one of the finest boards of the country which is the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) following the standard textbooks under the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT). As of July 2019, there are 1235 schools across India and 3 abroad (Kathmandu, Moscow, and Tehran) under the Sangathan. The basic motive of this Sangathan was to ensure a good education for the government employees who get frequently transferred from their natives many times in the middle of the year as well. Usually, private schools do not take children in the middle of the year. It was earlier difficult for the students to take admission to private schools in the middle of the year and hence Kendriya Vidyalaya’s in the name of ‘Central School’ came into play. They are one of the finest institutions across the country today, which allows admissions to every civilian as well. As of 6th December 2019, there were 13,15,157 students and 45,477 employees enrolled in the Sangathan. The schools offer bilingual instructions in English as well as Hindi. It is one of the longest school chains across the world. This year, they have recorded an excellent pass percentage of 98.62 in class 12th of the year 2020. The Sangathan is managed by the authorities of the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD). There are always some exceptions in schools where certain private schools may be better than the Kendriya Vidyalaya’s in one or the other way. Still, as compared to the fee structure and situations, this Sangathan is one of the best across India.
The advantages and the reasons which make Kendriya Vidyalaya’s better as compared to the private schools in India are as following:
1. Assured qualified teachers
Teachers at KVS are qualified and interact with students in a friendly manner.
In private schools, most of the teachers are not qualified that they teach. Many times it’s not their subject of expertise, but still, they are called for teaching. In most private schools, there is no system of evaluation for teachers. Usually, in private schools, teachers are chosen based on sources and power and not on efficiency, knowledge, and talent. Apart from this, in Kendriya Vidyalaya’s, there is an upper age limit as well, which generally is not in the case of private schools. The teachers must have a bachelor’s or master’s degree (TGT or PGT), a B.ed degree (with at least 50% marks), and CTET exam must be cleared. Even the ones admitted temporarily are interviewed very carefully. This assures that here teachers are all qualified and can teach in both the languages English as well as Hindi.
2. Huge campus area, Labs, and enough lab equipment
Labs are huge, with a lot of lab equipment’s available for experimentation and learning.
The huge and beautiful campus of one of the KV.
Almost every Kendriya Vidyalaya have the following: Computer labs with at least 10 computers, a music room with all the major musical instruments, an art room filled with paintings, spacious classrooms with blackboards (most senior classes have projectors as well), AV room with a huge projector and good sound system, work experience place (earlier it was called SUPW lab), a big stage or a prayer hall, Chemistry, Physics and Biology labs with all necessary equipment (more than enough) and lab assistants as well, spacious grounds with almost every important sports fields including a cricket pitch, football ground, volleyball court, and net, Table Tennis table, Basketball court, Kabaddi play area, and many more, sports room with every sports equipment, a library with a huge collection of books, a small canteen and many more. Apart from this staff room, the principal’s cabin, toilets, examination room, MI room (Medical aid room in case of a medical emergency), etc. are very clean and equipped carefully. Since these are government institutions, they have a huge campus area. Most of the Kendriya Vidyalaya are under military or cantonment areas which makes them safer for children. Even if the school is not in the Cantonment area, it is still usually in the middle of the city or town and not too far away from cities. This makes travelling for students easy. Usually big private schools are not in the middle of the city but very far away from it, and those who are in the city usually have very small campus areas.
[Also, read Will the new National Education Policy 2020 bring any chance?]
3. Extra-curricular activities
Sports at KVs
These include sports and sports meets, CCA (Co-curricular activities), yoga, music, dance, art and crafts, SUPW (Socially Useful Productive Work) or WE (Work Experience), NSS (National Service Scheme), Scouts and Guides, NCC (National Cadet Corps), Social Science exhibition, Science exhibition, big and small educational trips, rallies, Days celebrations, personality growth programs, olympiads and many more. All these help in the overall development of the child. In sports meets students from different parts of the country (KVians only) meet to compete with each other in all major sports played across the country. One has to clear the school level, cluster level, regional, state, national to reach the SGFI (School Games Federation of India). A similar thing happens in Social Science and Science exhibitions where students participate in dance, singing, quizzes, working models, articles, speech, and many more. These are conducted every year. Olympiads help the student with increasing their IQ and aptitude skills. The work experience is something new with other schools which makes children work on small circuits and carpentry work etc. Apart from this, the CCA in charge ensures discipline of the school as well and the things to be performed on the stage during the assembly. Every year annual day celebrations, sports day celebrations, etc. are common. Frequent inspections (sometimes surprise ones) from the higher authorities maintain the discipline in Vidyalaya’s all around the country.
4. Low fees and good reputation
If you look at the fee structure of Kendriya Vidyalaya’s it is very low, especially as compared to other private schools. Apart from this, there is a huge relaxation for some students of reserved category and certain students, complete fees are exempted like that for single girl children and children of KVS staff, etc. On the contrary, the teachers and the staff gets a good pay to ensure better results from their side. The result of Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan was always good. This year, i.e. in 2020, the result of Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan is the best among all the institutions as the pass percentage is the highest. Apart from this, the reputation of KV’s across India is very good. One applying for a job, when shows their CV with the result of a KV imparts a very good first impression on the interviewer. Some people say that students of KV impart impressions like the ones imparted by students of IIT’s, IISc’s and IIM’s. These give a little advantage to the students in case of the first impression and makes the child confident as well.
5. Diverse culture
Those who studied in KV’s in the past believe that most of the KVians can overcome any problem in life. This is because of the different cultures of KV. There are students from all across the country. It’s like students of different religions and casts are dispersed amongst different KV’s. So, in Every KV, you will find students and teachers from almost all parts of the country, religion, and cast. This makes the place diverse. All students with different thinking, different statuses, different religious practices stay in the same room with each other being friends. Some of them leave the place due to frequent transfers, and new friends come along. This makes a person comfortable with everyone, decreases the bias nature amongst students, and teaches humanity. One other advantage of this is language. Since most of the students do not understand the regional language, everyone has to switch to either Hindi or English, which is not the case in most private schools. It is seen that in KV’s the level of comfort between the teachers and students is very high. There are KV’s where the teachers teach students in the school hours and play with the same students in the evening on the school ground with their spouses and children. This is sometimes true with the Commanding officer of the regions and the principal of the school as well. This bonding and the level of understanding is very hard to maintain in any of the private schools.
Girls of KVS at Social Science Exhibition
All the above-mentioned things make Kendriya Vidyalaya’s Especial. They charge a very minimal fee and provides you with the best they can. One makes many friends irrespective of class, gender, and religion here. One understands the real meaning of humanity. One understands the Indian Military practices as there are several military drills shown to the students. Since many of the students studying there are from a military background, students here respect their country, and many of the KVians prefer government jobs over the private sectors.
