It was Jyoshna’s first visit to New Delhi. Coming from a remote village in Rangareddi district, this Class IX student of Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya (JNV) School on Hyderabad Central University (HCU) campus never dreamt of taking take part in the Republic Day parade at the historic Rajpath in the National Capital and that the President, Mrs Pratibha Patil, would take the ceremonial salute. She was among the best NCC cadets, who were chosen from across the country for this year’s R-Day parade. “It’s certainly a moment of glory and feather on my school’s cap,” a beaming Jyoshna said.

“It’s the cool, serene ambience of our school. And there’s the personal care 7X24 from the teachers on the campus that protects our academic well-being,” says Shyamala, a Class VIII student, an inmate of the girls’ hostel. Hailing from Langar Houz in Hyderabad city and a daughter of a university professor, Shyamala likes the school for its pollution-free atmosphere.

Established in 1986, the Navodaya Vidyalaya scheme is among the successful dream ventures of late Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi who saw to it that quality education was imparted to talented children from rural and backward areas in the country through a residential school system, elaborates JNV principal K Damodar Reddy. “We aim at developing the students’ personality through a variety of co-curricular activities and by creating a friendly environment among the students and the teachers,” Reddy adds.

Navodaya schools attempt to encourage art in education programmes and inculcate nationalistic values through sharing and learning traditional skills and arts with the help of traditional artists. Karate, yoga and communicative English are some of the skills taught on the campus with the help of voluntary agencies and with the approval of Parent-Teacher Committee (PTC).

Arts master Viraswamy, a product of Jawaharlal Nehru Technical University (JNTU) from the department of Fine Arts, who also supervises one of the boys’ hostels at the HCU Navodaya Vidyalaya, announces that his students made it to the 2008 Kanagava (Japan) Painting awards.  The students of the institution were also crowned with the glory by bagging Shankar Awards for painting in 2006. Eighteen of Navodaya HCU students are being trained to participate in the National Atomic Energy Saving competitions to be held in New Delhi on October 15.

The school hosts a Centre for Leadership Training that inducts newly recruited teachers and re-orients senior teachers. The Centre, housed on the campus, is one of the eight such training centres across the country where teachers from various regions get trained.

“We pay attention to the physical, mental and psychological growth of the students besides focusing on their co-curricular activities,” says computer instructor Lokesh Kumar, an MCA and a product of Navodaya Vidyalaya in Kurnool. The lush green lawns, the pastoral atmosphere and the flower plants you see around have been carefully tended by the inmates of the Vidyalaya, adds Lokesh.

“We are like the free birds of nature. We are free to enjoy life here. Food, uniforms, books, soaps and even toothpaste are absolutely free. Everything is taken care of as if the school itself is our parent,’’ says Shiva Kumar, a Class VIII student hailing from Parigi village in RR district.

The school taught us self-reliance and discipline. It’s like our god-father who took care of all our needs, says P Ravinder, a Class X pass-out from the school. Having scored over 90% at the Class X in the CBSE examination, Ravinder was selected to join a six-year degree course at the prestigious IIIT, Basra.

What is behind the school discipline? You may ask whether it is the time management, the academic ambience, the patronage or the hard work behind the success of the JNV project.
States student Vanaja, “We get up at 5 a.m. and rush to the PT class by 5.30 a.m. Soon after the physical training the school offers milk and you are through to the Assembly by 7.30 a.m. Breakfast by 9 a.m. and the classes begin sharp at 9.30 a.m. Three periods follow up to 11.30 a.m. and a break of 15 minutes. The pre-lunch session continues until 1.35 p.m. You are free to take a nap post-lunch before the classes commence at 2.45 p.m. You are served tea and light snacks at 4.30 p.m. when you are ready to study under the supervision of the teachers. We are allowed to play and take part in games from 5.45 p.m. And we concentrate on personal study rom 6.30 p.m. onwards before we disperse for supper.”