Raj first to start state-run girls-only ‘Sainik Schools’ from April

Jaipur: Rajasthan has become the first state to start a state-run Sainik School model exclusively for girls, with the state govt set to inaugurate two Balika Sainik Schools in Bikaner and Sikar districts from the new academic session beginning in April.The move is aimed at creating a dedicated pathway for girls aspiring to join the armed forces, paramilitary forces and police services. The response has been overwhelming, with around 13,000 applications received for just 80 seats at each of the two residential schools.
Officials said the Balika Sainik Schools will be modelled on the Sainik School in Chittorgarh run by the Ministry of Defence. Principals and hostel wardens will be appointed from retired army officers. The schools will be fully state-run, and education department officials said no clearance from the Ministry of Defence was required to name them ‘Sainik Schools'. Secretary, School Education, Krishna Kunal said, "Rajasthan is the first state to implement state-owned Sainik School models, following the chief minister's Budget announcement for 2025-26 to establish 10 such schools." He said the schools will be launched in two phases, with five schools in the first phase, including the Bikaner and Sikar institutions. The Ramidevi Ramnarayan Rathi Balika Sainik School will operate from Jaimalsar village in Bikaner district, while the Maharao Shekhaji Balika Sainik School will be located in Ralawata village in Sikar district.In Bikaner, land and infrastructure valued at Rs 108 crore were donated by philanthropist Poonam Chand Rathi to the education department, and the state govt has allocated Rs 9 crore for construction of a hostel. In Sikar, the school will initially function from the Maharao Shekhaji Armed Forces Education Academy campus until the permanent building in Ralawata is completed. Admissions will be through an entrance examination scheduled in March, with application form corrections currently open from Feb 1 to 5 through the Balika Sainik School Module on the Shala Darpan portal. The English-medium residential schools will follow the Rajasthan Board of Secondary Education curriculum for Class 10 and Class 12 board examinations. Three more schools—Bharatpur, Ajmer and Ramganj Mandi in Kota—are planned in the first phase, with Rs 21 crore sanctioned for each. Officials said construction is expected to take two years, with a target to start these schools from April 1, 2028. The broader plan announced in the previous year's Budget is to set up 10 state-run Sainik Schools across Rajasthan, comprising one boys' school and nine girls' schools. Land has been allocated in districts including Sriganganagar, Kota, Jaisalmer, Ajmer, Bharatpur and Alwar, while allotment processes are underway in Udaipur and Jaipur.