85 New KVs, 28 JNVs to Open: Big Step for Education
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In a major push to education infrastructure, the Union Cabinet has approved the setting up of 85 new Kendriya Vidyalayas and 28 Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas, allotting ₹8,231 crore for what is being described as the largest expansion of central schools in a decade. The initiative, to meet growing demand and strengthen educational outreach in key regions, will increase enrollment capacity by nearly one lakh students while creating approximately 6,600 new jobs.
Key Beneficiaries: J&K and North-East Jammu & Kashmir (J&K) Union Territory will benefit from the highest number of new KVs (13) which aligns with the number of families of the personnel stationed in the UT. The North-East region is also set to experience a large-scale increase in the JNVs as Arunachal Pradesh is set to have the maximum of 8 followed by Assam 6 and Manipur 3. This strategic decision underlines the government’s commitment to quality access of border and rural areas, with particular regard for more unprivileged regions. School Profiles: Providing Specific Needs
KVs basically cater for the children of central government and defence employees, and locations are generally decided depending upon the strength of these families. For example, a new KV has been sanctioned in Andhra Pradesh where a training institution for the revenue department has been set up. On the other hand, JNVs are residential schools for students from rural districts and have been established to help identify talent in areas where educational facilities are not easily available.
There are functional 1,256 KVs and 653 JNVs all over India so far. The new sanctioned schools will, therefore, be built in stages with an opening of KVs in more than eight years from 2025-26, whereas JNVs in around five years from 2024-25 to 2028-29. End
The 85 new KVs are spread over 19 states and Union Territories, with Madhya Pradesh receiving 11, Rajasthan 9, and Andhra Pradesh and Odisha 8 each. The five states together make up more than half of the sanctioned schools. The emphasis on the North-East aligns with the government’s strategy to bolster education in remote and border areas.
A senior government official explained how new locations are determined: “New Kendriya Vidyalayas are established on demand, generally in areas where there are at least 500 families of central government employees. The policy for JNVs focuses on the rural and border districts to ensure uniform educational development.” Permanent Campuses Mandated
Unlike in the previous expansions where some schools began to operate from temporary premises, this new directive will only allow schools to begin operation when land for permanent campuses has been acquired. This ensures sustainability and avoids long-term logistical hurdles. Historical Context
This is the biggest step taken by the government so far, as compared to the 50 KVs approved in 2019 and 54 in 2014. The scale of this project is more because of the focused effort of the government to fill up educational gaps and empower rural and border regions through robust infrastructure.
New schools represent not only an educational hallmark but a step toward greater inclusiveness and growth-particularly in underserved communities across the nation.
