21 students of Satara Sainik School clear NDA entrance test

As many as 21 students from Sainik School, Satara, have been selected to the National Defence Academy (NDA), the cradle of military leadership at Khadakwasala near Pune.

“Twenty-one students have cleared the entrance examination for the 126th NDA course,” said Sainik School principal Colonel VN Chaturvedi.

The written test was conducted by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) and the personality test/interview was held by the Service Selection Board (SSB).

“The school is celebrating its golden jubilee this year and during the last 50 years, over 900 of its students have joined NDA,” Chaturvedi said.

The school, the first among 24 such educational institutes in the country, is spread over 115 acres.

The main school building is a modern structure with a large gymnasium hall. It houses the class rooms, laboratories and a library.

The school has a well-maintained swimming pool, a horse riding club and an auditorium-cum-cinema theatre.

There are six boarding houses named after Pandit Nehru, Chhatrapati Shivaji, DK Karve, Maharana Pratap, Lokmanya Tilak and Lal Bahadur Shastri, and staff quarters.

The school has an athletics stadium and 15 other playgrounds.

It has classes from 6 to 12 and is affiliated to the Central Board of Secondary Education. Students are prepared for entry to the prestigious Pune-based National Defence Academy (NDA).

The school is managed by the Sainik Schools Society, body under the Ministry of Defence. The Board of Governors is headed by the defence minister.

Alumni of the school include Indian Air Force chief Air Chief Marshal PV Naik and actor-filmmaker Rakesh Roshan.