Sainik School, Balachadi
The Sainik School Balachadi, Jamnagar, Gujarat, is one of the leading Sainik School in the Chain of 30 Sainik Schools in India. It is one of the outstanding boarding school for public education in Gujarat.It was established in July 1961 by then the Honorable minister of home affairs Sri Lal Bahadur Shastri.It is an elite English medium, fully residential boarding school for boys, providing premium public education, with a Military bias up to 10+2 stage as per the Central Board of Secondary Education. Sainik Schools were a dream conceived by Mr. Krishna Menon , the then Defence Minister of India. The schools are run by the Government of India and managed by the Sainik School Society under Government of India. The Chain of Sainik Schools in India was established as a prime focus of strengthening the Armed Forces and All India Services IAS & IPS, and other fields of Public services. Location. The school is from the main city of Jamnagar alongside a coastal area in the Balachadi Estate. The approximately campus is flanked with the Gulf of Kutch which is encompassed with a Bungalow of The Ruler of Nawanagar Maharaja Jam Shaheb Digvijaysinhji Ranjitsinhji , Sachana Ship Breaking Yard and a natural sea beach. There was a campsite for Polish refugee children of World War II, built by K. S. Digvijaysinhji, Jam Saheb Maharaja of Nawanagar in 1942, near his summer resort. He gave refuge to hundreds of Polish children rescued from Polish and Soviet camps. The campsite is too now a part of the Sainik School Balachadi. Activities. Outdoor games include football, basketball, hockey, volleyball, cricket, badminton, tennis, and squash. Inter house competitions in all these events are organized, and athletic competitions (track and field) are held. Club activities include art club, craft club , story – telling club, physics club, chemistry club, bio club, bird watching club, computer club and trekking club. The school encourages cadets to participate in inter-school competitions, in debates, declamation, quiz competitions, essay writing, poetry composing, short story writing, drawing and painting and all sports and games events. The school sends a large number of cadets to attend camps (NCC and others) organized around the country. The Literary Club English and Hindi organizes the inter-house competitions in declamation, debate, essay writing, poetry, recitation, spelling competition, science quiz, general quiz, weekly news analysis, and group discussions. There are tours to  National Defence Academy, Indian Military Academy and defense establishments in Mumbai, Cochin, Bangalore, Madras, and Hyderabad; educational tour to historical places like Dwarika, Somnath, Mumbai; cycle expedition for class IX; and a trekking expedition. School routine. Day starts with morning parade under the guidance of physical training instructors from the Army Physical Training Corps/NCC Instructors. This, followed by a bath and change and the breakfast. Classes begin at 08.30 hrs. Classes run up to 13.30 hrs with two short intervals in the first of which cadets are given light refreshments, served centrally. After the classes, they go for lunch . The time between 14.00 and 17.00 hrs is used for academically weak students to go for their remedial classes while others do homework, engage in some club activities, pursue hobbies, ready their kit, or garden. There are evening games outdoor from 17.00 to 18.00 hrs. Evening prep gives the cadets sufficient time to do their homework and clear their doubts. Dinner is at 20.30 hrs. National Cadet Corps. All the boys are enrolled into the National Cadet Corps and follow a combined syllabus of the three services (Army, Navy and Air Force). The school possesses a full-fledged NCC company . Admission. The scheme of entrance comprises two parts: the written exam and the medical examination with an interview. Candidate who qualify in the written examinations are called for medical examination and interview.