Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Saturday said the government believes in increasing the role of women in the Armed Forces and a series of steps have been taken in that direction, including clearing the way for admission of girls in Sainik Schools and providing Permanent Commission to women officers.He exuded confidence that the decision to establish new Sainik schools will encourage girls to realise their dreams of serving the country. "The setting up of 100 new Sainik schools will provide an opportunity to girls to join the Armed Forces and contribute to national security," said Rajnath Singh while chairing a webinar on Saturday.The minister described the announcement of expansion of Sainik Schools as one of the many important decisions taken by the government in the last six-seven years to improve the quality of basic education of children and ensure holistic development of the country.
He hoped that the amalgamation of 'Raksha' and 'Shiksha' in Sainik schools will play an important role in nation-building in times to come. He stated that while 'Sainik' signifies unity, discipline and devotion, 'School' is the centre of education, therefore, Sainik schools are playing a pivotal role in making children capable citizens.
He added that the government is focussing on providing quality education to the youth of the country as it lays a solid foundation for the all-round development of society. "Quality education is the fourth of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals adopted by the United Nations. There are several other goals under quality education. It has been our strong political commitment to achieve these goals. Several schemes like Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan and Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan are being run. Setting up of 100 new Sainik Schools is another important step in that direction," he said.
The Minister termed education as a key sector that plays a part in the development of all other areas, exhorting the private sector to join hands with the Government to achieve 'Aatmanirbharta' (self-reliance) in the field and ensure holistic development of children."Today, our country is moving fast in the path of self-reliance in every field. It is touching newer heights in fields like defence, health, communication, industry and transport due to the synergy between public and private sectors. There is a need for a revolution in the education sector and holistic development of children. This is only possible if there is a strong collaboration of defence, education and private sector. This webinar is a foundation stone of this partnership," he said, urging the private sector to join the Government's initiative of expansion of Sainik schools.