Kendriya Vidyalayas On Foreign Soil? Parliamentary Panel Suggests Opening Schools Abroad To Cater To Expats

The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Education has suggested that the Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan (KVS) should open schools abroad to cater to more students in the light of the fact that lakhs of Indians are settled across the world.

The panel headed by BJP MP Vinay Sahasrabudhe submitted its report to Parliament during the Budget session, in which it discussed various aspects related to the functioning of Kendriya Vidyalayas.

The committee said that since a significant numbers of Indians were settled in different parts of the world, a feasibility study should be conducted with regard to opening of Kendriya Vidyalayas in various countries.

The parliamentary panel also called for the expansion of the footprint of Kendriya Vidyalayas within the country, pointing out these schools had become a 'brand' and respected across the country for the quality of education.

On the issue of opening new Kendriya Vidyalayas abroad, the KVS maintains that it all depends on requests from the embassies concerned. The proposals so received are examined in consultation with the Ministry of External Affairs.

KVS started with 20 regimental schools in 1963, but has since expanded to more than 1,200 schools across the country, including three KVs in Moscow, Tehran and Kathmandu.
These three schools are inside the Indian Embassies in Russia, Iran and Nepal and their expenditures are borne by the Ministry of External Affairs.

KVS is an autonomous body that operates Kendriya Vidyalayas across the country. The schools were initially started to impart education to children of central government employees but wards of private individuals too have been admitted in Kendriya Vidyalayas over the years.

According to the Education Ministry, 1,245 Kendriya Vidyalayas are in operation across the country at present.

The KVS informed the committee that the government of India had approved 50 new KVs in March 2019, of which 19 are yet to be opened. In addition, 13 KVs were sanctioned in August 2018, of which four are yet to be opened.

The Education Ministry said that 8,420 teachers in Kendriya Vidyalayas and 1,394 teachers in Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas will be appointed soon.

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