Chinese team visits JNV Lakkidi school

It was a memorable day for the children of Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya at Lakkidi in Wayanad district as delegates from China visited it on Thursday to get a first-hand experience of the school projects, including one to conserve rare, endemic, and threatened species of plants in the Western Ghats.

            The school is implementing the conservation project, in association with the M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation, at Puthurvayal.China too has a similar project, titled 'Catch the Young', by which its government aims to impart the basics of environmental conservation in younger minds, Kurodo Yoshin, team leader, said. The 35-member team, comprising schoolteachers, educational experts, and environmental activists from various provinces of China, planted nearly 250 saplings, including of 40 threatened species, on the school premises, along with the children.

                     The delegates interacted with the children and shared their ideas and experience on conserving the environment. The team members commended the children for their active involvement in conservation.The four-day visit, organised by OISCA International, is aimed at providing a chance to the delegates to see the activities to conserve the environment in primary schools in South India.The team visited many schools in Kerala and Karnataka.

JNV Sehore Memories

A small video of JNV Sehore..Have a glimpse of it!!!!
There are lot more on the youtube, go through them to refresh your wondefull seven years of Navodaya Life!!!

7 Leadership Training Institutes for the faculty of JNVs : Sonia Gandhi

Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas (JNVs), which impart modern education to talented children of rural and remote areas, are now set to train their teachers.
 

Sonia Gandhi

                  The Union Human Resource Development Ministry has sanctioned seven Leadership Training Institutes for the faculty of the over-500-strong chain of schools. The institutes will come up on the Navodaya school campuses itself — in Chandigarh, Hyderabad, Goa, Udaipur, Rae Bareilly, Puri and Shillong.




Significantly, Rae Bareilly, which is Sonia Gandhi's constituency, will also get a National Sports Academy. Sonia is expected to lay the foundation stone of the academy next month.




                    “The idea is to train our teaching staff in modern pedagogy, upgrade their teaching skills and expose them to different teaching experiences with the aim of bettering the overall teaching environment at Navodaya schools. The institutes will offer a range of courses to teachers, right from their induction stage up to refresher training and so on,” said an official from the Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti.The Rs 40-crore initiative will also see teachers, eminent educationists and experts as visiting faculty to the institutes.


                      The NVS already operates small training centres out of its Navodaya schools in Chandigarh, Goa and Rangareddy. These centres will now be moved to permanent set-ups at the seven identified sites.

              The training institutes for teachers apart, the Navodaya schools are also headed for a technology upgrade. All 583 Navodaya schools will reportedly get broadband connectivity soon with HRD Minister Kapil Sibal — who also holds the Telecom portfolio now — approving internet connection for the schools.  

Navodaya schools exempted from RTE provisions Allowed to take Entrance Test

 Navodaya Vidyalayas will be exempted from the provisions of the Right to Education Act.

The two key provisions — no-screening and giving 25% reservation to children from economically weaker section — will not be applicable to 444 Navodaya Vidyalayas across the country. These schools will be treated as specified category schools. The HRD ministry had sought the opinion of former Chief Justice of India A S Anand, who said Navodaya Vidyalayas are special category schools.

Later, even the Attorney General also gave a similar opinion. The law ministry while agreeing with AG's opinion had said instead of issuing notification that Navodaya Vidyalayas are separate category, the RTE Act should be amended.

However, the ministry is of the view that the Act does not need amendment since section 2(p) puts Navodaya Vidyalaya in the specified category along with Kendriya Vidyalayas and Sainik Schools.

Though no formal decision has been taken about private boarding schools, the decision on Navodaya will surely have an impact on them.

The reason for letting Navodya Vidyalaya off the RTE hook is three-fold. One, Navodaya Vidyalayas start from class VI and not class I. Two, these schools, located in all districts, have 75% seats reserved for rural children. Seats are also reserved for children from SC and ST communities in proportion to their population in the district, but not less than the national average. One-third of the seats are for girl students and 3% of the seats are for disabled children. Till class IX there is no fee, and from IX to XII, Rs 200 is charged per month. Navodaya Vidyalaya has argued that since these schools already cater primarily to poor rural children, there is no reason for it to give 25% reservation.

As for the contentious issue of no-screening, Navodaya Vidyalaya has contended that these schools are primarily meant for meritorious children and admission is done through a tough entrance examination conducted by the CBSE. "Giving admission without entrance test will dilute the quality of Navodaya Vidyalayas," a source said, adding that in the past 25 years these schools have done extremely well academically.

Courtesy :- TIO.

US ambassador visits JNV, Delhi , plays ball with Students.

               US ambassador to India Timothy J. Roemer Friday visited Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya ,Delhi  situated  on the outskirts of the capital, interacted with the students and played basketball with them as part of the 'Delhi Days' initiative.

            

 'For the past four months, the ambassador has been participating in different activities which involve reaching out to the community. As part of the initiative Delhi Days, he has been visiting places like schools and orphanages every week,' said an official of the American Center here.

Oracle Foundation ties up with Navodaya Vidyalaya

            The Oracle Education Foundation (OEF) and Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti announced on Thursday that they have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to bring OEF’s ThinkQuest to 40,000 students attending Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas (JNVs) across India.

          JNVs are co-educational residential schools for talented children from rural areas. ThinkQuest is an online learning platform that helps students develop important 21st century skills, including critical thinking, communication, and technology skills. With ThinkQuest, students and teachers can create web-based projects and engage in collaboration with peers globally,        
said a press release.

           ThinkQuest will be implemented in more than 400 JNVs over a three-year period. In the first phase of the rollout, OEF will train 240 teachers on how to use ThinkQuest as an effective teaching tool, the release added.

               In addition, OEF will conduct a Project Learning Institute for 60 teachers. The Project Learning Institute is a professional development program that trains teachers on how to integrate technology, project learning, and 21st century skills development into their curricula.

“We endeavor to provide the best quality of education to our students. Our partnership with the Oracle Education Foundation will allow our students to use the power of technology to develop important 21st century skills,” said Manoj Singh, Commissioner, Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti.

                      He added that using ThinkQuest, students and teachers would be able to collaborate with peers from across the globe. In addition, their teachers will gain hands-on training on how to successfully adopt project learning in the classroom.

                    “We are delighted to partner with Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti to help students develop 21st century skills. With this MoU, we strengthen our existing commitment to providing quality, modern education to students from the interiors of India’s vast geography,” said Krishna Sistla, senior director, Oracle Education Initiatives, Asia Pacific and Japan.

Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya, Pipersand wins Youth Parliament Competition

The Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs and Planning, Sh. V.Nanayanasamy today gave away the prizes to the winners of the 13th National Youth Parliament Competition 2009-10 for Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas. Sh. Nanayanasamy congratulated the students of Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya, Pipersand for putting up a brilliant performance of an exemplary Parliament. The Minister said that strict following of the rules and parliamentary traditions can in fact result in very meaningful debates on the floor of the House. The Minister said that the Government is according highest priority to Right to Education. He noted that the Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas are doing very creditable service in reaching out to a vast section of students. The Nehru running Shield and Trophy for standing first at National level was given to Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya, Pipersand, P.O. Sarojini Nagar, Distt. Lucknow. The trophies for standing 1st in regions were awarded to Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya, Wynad, Kerala, Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya, Phek Nagaland, Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya Aurangabad, Bihar, Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya, Atru, Rajasthan, Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya, Bolangir, Orissa, Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya, Hamirpur, Himachal Pradesh and Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya, Chandrapur, Maharashtra. From a humble beginning in 1966 when the first Competition was organised in 16 schools of the Delhi Administration, by the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs, the Youth Parliament Scheme now covers 1200 schools in NCT of Delhi, 1,200 Kendriya Vidyalayas, 600 Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas and 300 Universities/Colleges throughout the country. courtesy:-PIB

Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya Children will Visit Parliament

           Eight students of the Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya at Lakkidi have got an invitation

from the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs to visit Parliament House and the Rashtrapati Bhavan. “We have got the invitation as a part of attending a function that would be held in Parliament on October 20 to receive the trophy and certificates for the meritorious performance of our children in the 13th National Youth Parliament competition held at the

school on 16 June,” C.V. Santhi, Principal of the school said. 

                           The students – Alisha Grace Mathew, Indulakshmi,Suryagayathri, Sruthi C, Archana, Jisna George, C.S. Anandu and Basil Shaji – had bagged the first position in the regional Youth Parliament competition (Hyderabad region) and stood second position in the national level competition.

                         

                              The team was trained by TCM Suresh and S. Swathi, the Social Science teachers of the school, she added. The competition was organised by the by the Union Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs.
source:-c2clive

Sonia Gandhi inaugurates 31 Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas

National Advisory Council Chairperson Sonia Gandhi inaugurating 31 Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas across the country, in New Delhi on September 8, 2010. Union Minister for Human Resource Development Kapil Sibal is also seen.

National Advisory Council (NAC) Chairperson Sonia Gandhi today inaugurated 31 Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas (JNVs), which are fully residential co-educational schools providing education from Class VI to XII and affiliated to the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE).

The new schools are located across the country in the States of Kerala, Mizoram, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Orissa, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Rajasthan, Gujarat and Maharashtra.

Speaking on the occasion, Ms Gandhi underlined the need for education provided in schools to be in accordance with the changes taking place around the world, especially with regard to new technologies and techniques.

She said quality education was a right of all children and wondered why other Government schools were not as good as the Navodaya Vidyalaya.

She expressed concern that one-fourth of the teachers were absent in many schools, which also have many drop-outs from the weaker sections.

Ms Gandhi said information about scholarships and other facilities offered by the Government must reach all students. She felt other Government schools must learn from the JNVs.

Union Minister for Human Resource Development Kapil Sibal said late Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi considered providing quality education for deprived children his foremost duty. It was in this context that the Government decided to open a JNV in every district of the country as part of the National Policy on Education, 1986. Today there are 593 JNVs in the country in which 2 lakh children are studying, he said.

He also said that special Navodaya Vidyalayas were being proposed to encourage children showing aptitude in sports, culture and in vocational streams. He pointed out that already Navodaya Vidyalayas were considered at par with the better schools of the country and alumni of these schools were excelling in various professions.

At least 75 per cent of the seats in a Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya are filled by candidates from rural areas. Reservation of seats for children belonging to SCs and STs is provided in proportion to their population in the concerned district. One-third of total seats are filled by girls.

Out of over two lakh students in Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas, 77.84 per cent are from rural areas, 36.67 per cent are girls and 41.61 per cent belong to SC/ST categories, an official press release added.

MORE NEWS

1.THE HINDU

2.INDIAN EXPRESS 
3.ECONOMIC TIMES
4.OTHERS

Plan for ‘Science Magnet’ schools gets IISER nod as Navodaya Schools

he proposal to set up new specialized Navodaya Vidyalayas to be termed as ‘Science Magnet’ schools, in collaboration with top R&D institutes, got the go-ahead from the Indian Institutes of Science Education & research (IISER) on Tuesday.

At a meeting with the Human Resource Development (HRD) minister Kapil Sibal, IISER directors said that such schools would allow an integrated approach to science education from school to university level. IISER Thiruvananthapuram director has also committed to helping to provide an enabling environment to students enrolled in these Science Magnet schools. The Planning Commission is also learnt to have accorded, in principal, approval for the proposal.

These specialized Navodaya schools will only cater to students from classes IX to XII and will be set up over the next three years. The idea came up in light of the huge shortage of science graduates and post-graduates in the country and the diminishing interest in core science subjects.

Institutes like IISERs, Indian Institute of Science, National Physical Laboratory, Bhaba Atomic Research Centre, Council for Science & Industrial Research (CSIR) will be approached to help these schools which will be located in close proximity to these R&D institutes.

Meanwhile, the IISERs have rejected the proposal for an integrated near 7-year PhD programme, terming it as impractical in the present set up. The directors said that the suggested change “is not practical and the present pattern of 3+2+3 years for obtaining a BS-MS degree at the end of the fifth year, negotiation for a PhD at the end of the fourth year and the completion of PhD at the end of the eighth year is ideally suited”.

Journey From a Village to ORACLE via NAVODAYA

                         I dedicate my placement in ORACLE Corporation(Oracle site) to my beloved teachers and Navodaya, without which I could not have achieved it.

                                      Guys I exactly remember that day  20th July,1999 when I joined the JNV Shyampur,Sehore M.P. coming from a village-where there is no higher secondary school, with my father in KURTA-PAIZAMA ,wondering about the big buildings which i had seen first time ,joined in Nilgiri House at the age of 9 years.I filled the Navodyaya Application form without asking to my parents as my friends were filling it and its free of cost as well and for exam we have to go  to near by city which was a great chance to see the city.But when postman given my parents the selection letter they could not understand where our son is going they simply refused it we wont send our son anywhere but my teacher convinced them.

                           It was the first time i had seen tears rolling down from my fathers cheeks while he was getting in to bus from navodaya to home and I was already crying aloud.But its the navodaya friends and Teachers who  carries aways from the sweet home memories but for almost 1 year I used to  find a corner alone or in the late night when everyone slept ,to get tears out.

      

           The busy schedule  of Navodaya from morning to night put us on the great learning speed without feeling any pressure in all the perspective of Academics,Cultural,Arts and games.My teacher Mrs.N.Singh taught me the mathematics in class 7th and that was the turning point as got almost 100% marks in maths and i topped the school in 8th class and with God grace same flow I maintained in 10th ,12th ,for IIT-JEE and in colllege also,and I will try to maintain In future also

          

           When I scored 90% in my 10th class It was a miracle kind of thing as before that people of my village heard up to 70 not more than that and of-course which put me as Celebrity kind of thing of my district.Later Its the navodaya teachers and seniors from which i came  to know there is something called IIT,NIT before that I not even heard about these.Guys its very difficult for any one to get direction when no one your whole locality does not know have knowledge to direct you.I am the first Engineer from my village. 

              I scored well in 12th class but the coaching fee of KOTA was too  high any how  my parents borrowed money from relatives ,village rich people and given me.The fee as in farming you cant earn more than you eats and fullfill your basic necessaries you cant save money-Its true for all farmers of India.My hardwork+2*(my fathers,mom,sisters hardwork) given me the result and selected for both JEE -AIR 6411,AIEEE-AIR 1174 .It was the great moment for me as  It was like Gambling-if i did not go selected then i have to work in my fields for rest of life to repay the loans but Almighty God taken care of it.

          

         Lets us share some funny moment when I use to tell my friends i selected in IIT...they say what in ITI??.......as before that no one knows what is IIT and all stuff...Its not their fault but its lack of Education at the ground level.....during counselling again it was a crucial time as from whom should I take the help and now navodaya teachers also dont know much about the colleges and branches and it was online..but I filled arbitary choices (for JEE counselling Bio-Tech at first position...) and with my own knowledge and i got my best choice as CSE in NIT Warangal-top 10th Institute of India.

         I learned the ABCD properly in my 6th class and ABCD of C++ in my college but Its navodaya spirit which kept me on the right track and I performed well in college.The Navodaya Environment creates an Enthusiasm,a strong aspiration to achieve something uncommon in your life.During my college life also learned at each and every step in whatever the way i can. During my Summer vacation instead of living in the village with my parents I used to teach in coaching Impetus ,MP Nagar Bhopal so that I can get my pocket money for  whole year.

            Let me tell about my Education Loan  and Scholarship- I went to almost every bank -Bank of India,Indian Bank,PNB and all which are there in my talluk as I used to say them I need Education loan ...but they  refused with some reasons-some dont know the name of college some dont know AIEEE and I was so despair from where will I get my fee again I have to sell my remaining land.Same happened with scholarship they asked for my original TC which already i had submitted to college they also dont know the college name....My college authority tried to contact Scholarship Head but they dont know English and my college authority dont know Hindi..So there was no better communication ..I could not convince DO,Sehore....He even said to  my father go to CM and compaint against me.. Iwont give you scholarship....I approached to Collector(IAS),but I am sorry to say  my collector asked  me -"why you went to NIT ,Warangal you should study in MANIT Bhopal?..now I cant help you.."..It was my last hope that also destroyed. But thanks to SBI Manager who knows the My college name and given me the loan.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               

     In my Oracle Interview my HR round fully on Navodaya as that lady impressed by Navodaya.My 30 minute interview was fully on Navodaya itself.She asked everything about navodaya .Thanks Navodaya.I feel happy in helping any needy person.If any service for me mail me - ballunavodaya@gmail.com

            Guys every bad time gives you a learning never-ever give up struggle.

Good Luck !!! Navodaya Cheers!!!

@Balram Parmar

05th Sept,2010

Happy Teachers Day

       On  behalf of all the Navodayans I wish a Very Happy Teachers Day to all Navodaya Teachers .We cant forget their sacrifice for  welfare of students since they work for almost 24 hours for the students from Morning Class at 04:30 AM in  the   to  the late night at 10:00PM after visiting the hostels and not on the working days but also  on the holidays also.They serves the students wholeheartedly in the form of parents ,friends,guides in the ways we need them.The day is dedicated to teachers, who play an prominent role in the life of their students. The teachers act as the guide for life, show the path towards success and enrich the personality of  students  by imparting ethical and academic knowledge. They bring out the untamed talents of students and sharpen it in order to bring out the best results.


            
           Once again I wish very happy teachers day to all the Navodaya Teachers.


@Balram Parmar
05th Sept,2010


                

Govt to open 31 more Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas

               With an aim to increase access to quality education, the Government has decided to open 31 more Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas across the country, with UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi slated to inaugurate them on Wednesday.

                            Gandhi is also expected to interact with students of four such schools in the states of Kerala, Gujarat, Chhattisgarh and Uttar Pradesh through video conferencing mode from the capital, said sources in the HRD Ministry.
                        

                       The programme is coinciding with the Literacy Day celebrations on Wednesday.
At present, there are over 550 such schools in rural areas across the country providing free education.
Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas (JNVs) seek to provide good quality modern education to the talented children predominantly from the rural areas.

                              The establishment of the new schools come at a time when the Government is planning to introduce new programmes in the existing schools and widen their appeal.

                               While there are plans to establish ''science magnet schools'' under the ambit of JNVs, sources said deliberations are also on to set up theme based-JNVs.
                                

                              These schools could lay focus on particular disciplines like sports, art or music, they said.
Offering vocational education programmes are also being contemplated, a decision on which is likely to be announced during the inauguration of the new schools.

Sukhbir wants to help the leh girl from Jawahar Navodya Vidyalaya (JNV) Chandigarh

Punjab govt adopts 9-yr-old Skalzang Angmo; on Leh visit, Deputy Chief Minister makes announcement

File photo of nine-year-old girl Skalzang Angmo with her mother Stanzin Dolm

                         The Punjab government today adopted Skalzang Angmo, a nine-year -old girl, who lost her sister, house and entire belongings to the devastating August 6 cloudburst that left over 200 dead in Leh.
Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal made an announcement in this regard at the Solar Valley Relief Camp in Choglamsar after visiting the flood-ravaged areas.
The Tribune had first highlighted the plight of Angmo’s mother, Stanzin Dolma, who lost her elder daughter — Denchen Paldon — to the flash floods and had no resources left to educate the other. The Union Government has already decided to sponsor Angmo’s education.
“I have been regularly reading stories on Skalzang Angmo, who has even cleared the test for admission to Class VI at Jawahar Navodya Vidyalaya (JNV) in Chandigarh. But her mother has no funds to send her there. So, the Punjab government has decided to adopt the girl,” said Sukhbir.
                  
                 “As the Union Government has already announced free education for the girl, the Punjab government will pay all other expenses till she completes her Class XII. The family doesn’t need to worry about her now,” said Sukhbir.
                   The girl’s mother was full of gratitude. “I was really worried about my daughter’s future. But now all my troubles are over,” said Dolma, with tears rolling down her cheeks. Denchen was a topper and class VII student of JNV, Chandigarh.

Washed away in Leh floods: A bright future Chandigarh Navodaya topper among victims

                 Thirty-five years old Stanzan Dolma has only memories left of her daughter Denchen, a Class VIII topper from Chandigarh’s Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya (JNV) in Sector 25, where she had been studying since the last two years.
               
              Denchen Paldon is no more. On summer vacations to her native Choglamsar village in Leh, she got washed away in the floods that hit Ladakh on the night of August 6. Her mother and younger sister Skalzang survived, but only to be left as good as dead.

“The children were sleeping when the waters came in gushing around 11.35 pm. I barely managed to wake them up. It was as though the sky had left open all pipes. Denchen went off in seconds. People were flying away into the water. In 20 minutes, everything was razed,” recalls Stanzan, huddled in one corner of Himank relief camp at Choglamsar, which Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi visited this week.
Until that fateful night, everything was going well for this family, having braved odds for years. Abandoned by her husband, Stanzan took upon herself to educate her daughters. She sent them to Chandigarh Kendriya Vidyalaya, Sector 29, under the Scheduled Tribe category. Soon, Denchen cracked the CBSE all-India test to enter Class VI at Chandigarh JNV. Her sister followed suit this year and was to return for admissions when the tragedy struck. Ironically, both would have been back by August 1 had their mother not extended the stay.


                           Now, she can’t stop cursing herself as memories come gushing by: “The sisters were so excited. I was also relieved as JNV has a hostel and I would have saved the money I spent on children’s rent in Chandigarh. For their sake, I sold vegetables, did all kinds of odd jobs… Everything is finished now,” Stanzan breaks down, seeking sponsorship for her younger daughter who is in trauma after losing her sibling, her soul mate. Also, she is haunted by a constant fear of the floods. “What if waters take away my mother too?” says the girl, as The Tribune offered to take her back to her school.


                            In Chandigarh, JNV principal Pawan Kumar Sharma today heard the news of Denchen’s death from this correspondent. He said, “We sent several letters on Denchen’s Leh address wondering where she was. She left in June for holidays. We are shocked to hear this. She was brilliant and very sober. It’s a huge loss to us.”


                             The school has assured that though admission deadline for entry to Class VI expired today, it would write to the CBSE to treat Skalzang’s case with the compassion it deserves. The JNV has sought from The Tribune a letter about the tragedy involving the family.


                           Stanzan is, meanwhile, hoping someone would assume the guardianship of her child till the time she pieces her life together. She can’t leave Leh until land claims are sorted out.

Business Today Coverage of Navodaya - Schools Of Hope

Visiting Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas (JNVs) at Patiala and Shimla, two of the 560 such residential schools run by the central government in as many district of India, one meets pupils who are hugely talented but come from distinctly disadvantaged backgrounds. For schools located in rural areas and serving such children, JNVs seem to be shining, surpassing their more privileged urban counterparts. In terms of pass percentage in CBSE exams conducted for 10th and 12 classes, JNV boys and girls have been beating students of not just other government schools but also the much more privileged children from private schools. M.S. Khanna, Joint Commissioner, Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti (NVS), the government agency that manages these schools, says that thousands of JNV alumni have excelled in the hardest competitive exams and the got the best jobs. Here are first-person accounts of some of them.

And here are  Some of the Dignities  From Navodaya

1.

Arjun Singh (29) Vice President, GTS Technology, Citibank, N.A., Jersey City "A lot goes to the JNV for shaping me to what I'm today" I was born in a small village called Amarpur in Meerut district of UP. My father was earning as little as Rs 800 per month from his daily labour." My family was very happy when I joined JNV at Sardhana in Meerut district in 1988 as education was free there. They were confident that the school would give me a much better environment than the village, which was hardly conducive to any worthwhile education. After passing out of JNV in 1995, I got admission in BITS-Pilani from where I was selected by Citicorp Overseas Software Ltd (COSL) as part of campus placement. Located in US, now, I'm the Vice President of global IT projects, Citigroup. A lot goes to the JNV for shaping me to what I'm today.

2.

Nirmal Prakash(29) Join MD, Smarftech "I'd not have broken free from my circumstances without JNV" "I was born in Barheta village of Darbhanga district in Bihar. It was a life of struggle. In retrospect, making it to JNV was the biggest moment of my life. A couple of other boys who were at JNV with me came from one of the poorest families in our village. These boys were so poor that they didn't have a rupee to spend in all the years of their stay at JNV beyond what they were provided free at the school. We were absolutely astonished to see the facilities at the JNV - well furnished classrooms, labs, mess, and hostels. More importantly, the cross-cultural environment at JNV helped us gain confidence. Our teachers came from various states. Our school merged all caste divisions that characterise our society. In 1998, I cleared IIT. From there I got selected for Muehlbauer, a German RFID technology provider. In 2007, I joined Smarftech as joint MD. I'd not have broken free from my circumstances without JNV.

3.

Rajendra Meena (32) IRS Officer, Central Excise "The turning pointing in my life was my admission to JNV" I was born in a desert hamlet called Thikariya Bajana in Nagore district of Rajasthan. There were no schools in the vicinity. So I went to live with one of my uncles in Jaipur. The JNVs were considered quality schools as they were run by the central government on CBSE curriculum. More importantly, however, they provided free education. That was a big thing for poor families. So my family rejoiced when I got admission into JNV-Jaipur in 1986. For them it was like a scholarship-free and good education. In those days the amenities and infrastructure at JNV-Jaipur was still in the making. Some old buildings were taken up. Power supply was erratic and even food grants were scanty. Despite these problems, JNV was a great school for us poor rural kids. My school sheltered me from the discriminations and divisions of our society. In 2000, I cleared the UPSC exam for the Railways where I worked for some years. In 2004, I got selected in the Indian Revenue Service (IRS). The turning pointing my life was my admission to JNV. So I credit most of my success to JNV.

4.

Flight Lieutenant Rajani Boyapati (27) Project Manager, Goldstone Tech "JNV turned me into a smarter, more self-confident person" I was born in Ghanatasala village of Andhra Pradesh’s Krishna district in a lower middle class family. My father was a farmer and mother a housewife. I have one sibling. When I was in fifth class, one of my teachers told me about JNV, which were considered quality schools. One of their merits was the CBSE curriculum, which was regarded as more rigorous than the state board curriculum. The greatest advantage of these schools was that they provided free education, boarding and lodging. My father could never have been able to afford the kind of education I got at JNV. So my parents were happy when I got selected. It was indeed a process of continuous improvement at JNV. I was at 3rd position in the 12th class. I secured a great academic foundation for higher education. I later did BTech (Electronics & Communication Engineering) from S.V. Hindu College of Engineering at Machilipatnam ( Krishna district). By the time I completed my BTech, I got selected in Short Service Commission and joined the Indian Air Force (IAF) as an engineer and was designated as a flight lieutenant. I worked at IAF from July 2001 to July 2007 and then joined the Hyderabad-based Goldstone Technologies as a project manager. JNV turned me into a smarter, more self-confident person. That was the turning point.

5.

Rahul Mehta (12) 7th grade student, JNV Patiala "Rural kids shine at Navodaya Vidayalayas" Rahul Mehta (12) looks like a normal school kid except that his family background will make a sociologist very interested. This seventh-class student of Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya at Patiala (Punjab), who comes across as intelligent and sincere, belongs to a family that most Indians never associate with the ones whose boys go on to become IAS officers. (That's what Rahul wants to become.) Rahul's father runs a fruit juice stall and mother is a housewife. One of his two brothers studies in a government-run local school and the other works as 'compounder' in a doctor's clinic in a semi-urban area in Zirakpur (Punjab). Rahul, however, has the heart and mind to remain focussed on his studies. In sixth class - his first year at JNV-Patiala - he secured 95.3 per cent marks in aggregate. His scores in both science and maths: 100 per cent.

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Navodayas on Culture Course

Navodaya Vidyalayas, the chain of Centre-run residential schools, will diversify from regular courses and start cultural schools to help students develop and nurture their skills in music, dance and drama. Four such schools focusing on the performing arts will be set up. The training will enhance the aesthetic sensibilities of students and make them self-sufficient. After the courses, they can take up jobs or pursue further studies.              The Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti’s executive body, headed by Union HRD minister Kapil Sibal, has approved the plan and has asked the organisation to submit a detailed proposal, ministry sources told. Under the proposal drawn up so far, there will be four years of schooling starting from Class IX. Students will study parts of general courses such as math, science and literature in Classes IX and X. But in Classes XI and XII, they will focus on culture.                 The students will organise exhibitions and programmes. Another key objective behind such schools is that they will help strengthen the cultural roots and preserve national heritage.                     The schools will encourage children to develop a taste in classical music, dance, folk forms, theatre and art. Students who are good in music will be given admission through a talent search.                     The diversification does not end with culture. The Navodaya Samiti has also decided to start what are now being described as “10 science magnet schools” which will be dedicated to science subjects.                These will be located near the scientific institutions and research laboratories. Students passing out from these schools will pursue advanced scientific research. This proposal is set to go to the Union cabinet soon.               The 594 Navodaya schools, which mainly target the rural poor, are regarded as islands of excellence. About 97 per cent students of these schools pass the board exam every year. About 74 per cent are from families with an annual income less than Rs 48,000.                           The Navodaya samiti has argued that about 4 to 5 per cent children in every community are gifted students who need to be identified and provided with quality education.