122 Kendriya Vidyalayas opened in the last five years, says Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan

During the last five years, 2016-17 to 2020-21, as well as the current year, 122 Kendriya Vidyalayas (KVs) have been opened in the country, as per a statement provided by the Union Minister of Education Dharmendra Pradhan in the Rajya Sabha. 

The rise in the number of KVs in this period is much higher compared to the last UPA regime, he stated. During the last two years of the Congress-led government, 2012 to 2014, only 5 new KVs were opened. While this is a good sign, the number of KVs opened were not equitable from state to state. While Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh saw the opening of 18 and 13 new KVs respectively, other states such as Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Manipur and Nagaland saw only 1 new KV being opened in the past five years. 

On being asked about the vacant posts lying in different KVs, Pradhan said, "Filling up of vacancies is a continuous process and action is taken from time to time as per the provisions of the relevant recruitment rules. As the process of filling up of vacancies involves various methods of recruitment such as promotion, Limited Departmental Examination, Direct Recruitment etc. and takes time, no specific time frame for filling up of vacant posts can be given at this stage. Teachers are also engaged on contractual basis for temporary duration by KVS to ensure that the teaching-learning process is not hampered."

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The minister also stated that there is no proposal at present that would facilitate an increase the existing number of seats in KVs where the number of registrations for admission is very high. He also brought to notice the Central Sector Scheme of Scholarship for college and university students, including girls. Under this, students would be provided financial assistance to meritorious students to meet a part of their day-to-day expenses while pursuing their higher studies in the country, including tribal areas.