Sainik School at Korukonda informally began on 10 September 1961. The school was formally founded by its first principal, Commander Trevor De Almeida, on 18 January 1962, when the first batch of 205 students had joined.

Overview

The building which is now Sainik School was originally named Alak Appala Kondayamba Vijayaram Palace. It was built in 1911 by Maharaja Vijayaram Gajapathi Raju as his country residence, and later bequeathed to his second son Dr. Vijayanand Gajapathi Raju, Padmabushan, (

P.V.G. Raju Maharaja Pusapati Vijayrama Gajapati Raju D.Litt. was an Indian parliamentarian and philanthropist. He was the eldest son of Maharaja Alak Narayanadev Gajapathi Raju and Vidyavathi Devi of Vizianagaram estate in Andhra Pradesh. He was born at ...

) LLD, a

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members o ...

and a great

cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by str ...

lover, known as "Vizzy" in cricketing circles, who gifted the palace, along with of land surrounding it, for use as a school in September 1961. As a tribute to the Royal Family, the original crest and motto of the Gajapathi dynasty was adopted by the school from its inception. The Palace was a center for games and sports, where all-India tournaments were conducted, and sportsmen from all over India came to participate and enjoy the princely reception till about 1933. The school now sends around 600 students into the

National Defence Academy The National Defence Academy (NDA) is the joint defence service training institute of the Indian Armed Forces, where cadets of the three services i.e. the Indian Army, the Indian Navy and the Indian Air Force train together before they go on ...

. The instructional block is a two-storied building with classrooms, laboratories, an art and craft gallery and academic departments. The administrative wing of the school is housed in the Palace. The school has an auditorium with a capacity of 650, a swimming pool, eight dormitories for the cadets, a cadets' mess (Almeida Hall - named after the first principal), a library, a sports ground of around , a

tennis Tennis is a racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent ( singles) or between two teams of two players each ( doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket that is strung with cord to strike a hollow rubber ball ...

court, a

squash Squash may refer to: Sports * Squash (sport), the high-speed racquet sport also known as squash racquets * Squash (professional wrestling), an extremely one-sided match in professional wrestling * Squash tennis, a game similar to squash but pla ...

court and two children's parks.

Admissions

Boys are admitted to classes VI and IX and is by examination. There are numerous merit cum means based scholarships sponsored both by the state government and Ministry of Defence,

Government of India The Government of India (ISO: ; often abbreviated as GoI), known as the Union Government or Central Government but often simply as the Centre, is the national government of the Republic of India, a federal democracy located in South Asia, ...

, made available to prospective students.

Academics

The school has 32 teachers. Some of the academic staff are recipients of the President of India's medal for best teachers. All students are offered the Science stream, with the option of choosing between

Biology Biology is the scientific study of life. It is a natural science with a broad scope but has several unifying themes that tie it together as a single, coherent field. For instance, all organisms are made up of cells that process hereditary i ...

and Computer Sciences after AISSE board exams. The school follows CBSE curriculum and medium of instruction (and day to day conversation) is English. The school also prepares boys for the UPSC examination for entry into NDA, and gives guidance for other competitive exams like the

National Talent Search Examination In education, an entrance examination or admission examination is an examination that educational institutions conduct to select prospective students. It may be held at any stage of education, from primary to tertiary, even though it is typic ...

(NTSE), Maths and science Olympiad and G.K. contest. On the basis of the grades obtained by students in Class X and XII the school is ranked as one of the best in the country. There are laboratories for Physics, Chemistry, and biology. The campus is covered by

broadband In telecommunications, broadband is wide bandwidth data transmission which transports multiple signals at a wide range of frequencies and Internet traffic types, that enables messages to be sent simultaneously, used in fast internet connections. ...

connectivity. The school has a reading room and library. Books can be issued to boys in the afternoons and in holidays. All leading regional and national newspaper s and magazines are available.

Extra-curricular activities

The school sends many cadets to R.D.C. Membership into one of the hobby clubs is compulsory. They include

painting Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface (called the "matrix" or "support"). The medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush, but other implements, such as knives, sponges, and ai ...

woodwork Woodworking is the skill of making items from wood, and includes cabinet making (cabinetry and furniture), wood carving, joinery, carpentry, and woodturning. History Along with stone, clay and animal parts, wood was one of the first mater ...

photography Photography is the art, application, and practice of creating durable images by recording light, either electronically by means of an image sensor, or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film. It is employe ...

, philately, music, dance, band, aero-modelling, ship-modelling, and radio ham. The school has programmes like social

forestry Forestry is the science and craft of creating, managing, planting, using, conserving and repairing forests, woodlands, and associated resources for human and environmental benefits. Forestry is practiced in plantations and natural stands. ...

, adult education and ‘Janmabhoomi’ (Village uplift programme). Students often represent the school and the district in state and national level competitions. Literary activities include

debate Debate is a process that involves formal discourse on a particular topic, often including a moderator and audience. In a debate, arguments are put forward for often opposing viewpoints. Debates have historically occurred in public meetings, a ...

s, declamation, dramatics recitation, and quizzes. NCC Training is compulsory for all the students who are admitted to the school. The school imparts training to all three wings of NCC namely

Army An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...

Navy A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and related functions. It in ...

and

Air Force An air force – in the broadest sense – is the national military branch that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an ...

, In Army wing the school has Senior Division NCC. The students are given an opportunity to appear for ‘B’ Certificate examination (an examination which is usually reserved for NCC cadets at undergraduate level or higher) in THE ARMY wing. The school sponsors activities like

trekking Backpacking is the outdoor recreation of carrying gear on one's back, while hiking for more than a day. It is often an extended journey, and may involve camping outdoors. In North America tenting is common, where simple shelters and mountain h ...

, mountaineering,

cycling Cycling, also, when on a two-wheeled bicycle, called bicycling or biking, is the use of cycles for transport, recreation, exercise or sport. People engaged in cycling are referred to as "cyclists", "bicyclists", or "bikers". Apart from t ...

, rock climbing, parasailing,

scuba diving Scuba diving is a mode of underwater diving whereby divers use breathing equipment that is completely independent of a surface air supply. The name "scuba", an acronym for " Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus", was coined by Chr ...

and other adventure activities. Cadets are trained to attend all India NCC Camps which includes the Republic Day and Independence day Camp at

New Delhi New Delhi (, , ''Naī Dillī'') is the capital of India and a part of the National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati Bhavan, Parliament Ho ...

. Students have also been selected by the Government of India to represent the nation at Youth Exchange Programmes between countries. Competitions are held in dramatics and entertainment. Some of the theater dramas with a strong social message have been performed at district and state-level festivals. The school has a music and dance (classical and folk) clubs which perform for major occasions. The school is a regional chapter of the Society for Promotion of Indian Classical Music and Culture amongst Youth (SPIC-MACAY) and has hosted classical artists of international repute, where students are given lessons by the best in the field

Sports

Emphasis is given to sport in the school and participation by all boys in at least one game is compulsory. The school has specialist coaches for games and sports like football,

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

volleyball Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules. It has been a part of the official program of the Sum ...

badminton Badminton is a racquet sport played using racquets to hit a shuttlecock across a net. Although it may be played with larger teams, the most common forms of the game are "singles" (with one player per side) and "doubles" (with two players p ...

lawn tennis Tennis is a racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent (singles) or between two teams of two players each (doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket that is strung with cord to strike a hollow rubber ball cove ...

skating Skating involves any sports or recreational activity which consists of traveling on surfaces or on ice using skates, and may refer to: Ice Skating *Ice skating, moving on ice by using ice skates **Figure skating, a sport in which individuals, ...

boxing Boxing (also known as "Western boxing" or "pugilism") is a combat sport in which two people, usually wearing protective gloves and other protective equipment such as hand wraps and mouthguards, throw punches at each other for a predetermine ...

, and

gymnastics Gymnastics is a type of sport that includes physical exercises requiring balance, strength, flexibility, agility, coordination, dedication and endurance. The movements involved in gymnastics contribute to the development of the arms, legs, s ...

, besides indoor games like squash, table tennis,

chess Chess is a board game for two players, called White and Black, each controlling an army of chess pieces in their color, with the objective to checkmate the opponent's king. It is sometimes called international chess or Western chess to dist ...

, and carroms. The school has a swimming pool of 25 x 15 metres; and facilities for playing

billiards Cue sports are a wide variety of games of skill played with a cue, which is used to strike billiard balls and thereby cause them to move around a cloth-covered table bounded by elastic bumpers known as . There are three major subdivisions ...

, badminton, lawn tennis, squash and table tennis and an air rifle shooting range. Members of the school shooting club represent the Sainik School Society and the state of Andhra Pradesh in the national shooting championship. The cadets are given training in

yoga Yoga (; sa, योग, lit=yoke' or 'union ) is a group of physical, mental, and spiritual practices or disciplines which originated in ancient India and aim to control (yoke) and still the mind, recognizing a detached witness-consci ...

and martial arts, especially karate and

taekwondo ''Taekwondo'', ''Tae Kwon Do'' or ''Taekwon-Do'' (; ko, 태권도/跆拳道 ) is a Korean martial arts, Korean form of martial arts involving punching and kicking techniques, with emphasis on head-height kicks, spinning jump kicks, and fast k ...

. The school has won the South Zone Sainik School Sports Championship for a seventh time in a row. Athletic championships and cross-country races form major part of school calendar. Athletic championships are run over a period of 3–5 days in December. The opening ceremony involves an opening march-past of athletes of all eight houses, lighting of an Olympic flame by the school sports captain and the taking of an Olympic oath by all participating athletes. Athletes compete in almost all Olympic athletic events and competition among houses can be extremely intense. The closing ceremony of the athletic championships usually coincide with the annual day celebrations of the school and involves a closing march-past, in addition to fire-acrobat and gymnastics display. Cross country races are held at least three times in any one academic year. The junior houses (class VI to VII) run the 5 km version while the senior houses (class IX to XII) run the 9 km version. The school continues to excel in the inter zonal championships too.

Alumni organisation

The organisation is named "Association Saikorian" and has Chapters in

Hyderabad Hyderabad ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana and the ''de jure'' capital of Andhra Pradesh. It occupies on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River, in the northern part of Southern India ...

Visakhapatnam , image_alt = , image_caption = From top, left to right: Visakhapatnam aerial view, Vizag seaport, Simhachalam Temple, Aerial view of Rushikonda Beach, Beach road, Novotel Visakhapatnam, INS Kursura submarine museu ...

and

Vijayawada Vijayawada, formerly known as Bezawada, is the second largest city in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh and is a part of the state's Capital Region. It is the administrative headquarters of the NTR district. Its metropolitan region comprises N ...

and one international chapter in the USA. Association Saikorian is involved in charity work especially in helping children of the underprivileged get access to an education. It organizes all its activities under the umbrella name of "Project Krushi".

Notable alumni

Lt Gen K Surendra Nath
, general officer commanding in chief, ARTRAC (Army Training Command), Shimla; Indian Army * Col B. Santosh Babu,MVC, Commanding officer of 16

Bihar Regiment The Bihar Regiment is an Indian Army infantry regiment. It traces its origins back to the British Indian Army. The Bihar Regiment was formed in 1941 by regularising the 11th (Territorial) Battalion, the 19th Hyderabad Regiment, and r ...

. *

Duvvuri Subbarao Duvvuri Subbarao (born 11 August 1949) is an Indian economist, Central Banker, and retired IAS officer. He was the 22nd Governor of Reserve Bank of India, served under Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh. After stepping down from RBI, he was a Dis ...

, former governor,

Reserve Bank of India The Reserve Bank of India, chiefly known as RBI, is India's central bank and regulatory body responsible for regulation of the Indian banking system. It is under the ownership of Ministry of Finance, Government of India. It is responsible f ...

* Commodore C. Uday Bhaskar,

Indian Navy The Indian Navy is the maritime branch of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Supreme Commander of the Indian Navy. The Chief of Naval Staff, a four-star admiral, commands the navy. As a blue-water navy, it operates si ...

, Defence Analyst * K. Vijaya Bhaskar - Telugu film director * Cherukuri Rajkumar alias Azad, Spokesperson,

Communist Party of India (Maoist) The Communist Party of India (Maoist) is a Marxist–Leninist–Maoist banned communist political party and militant organization in India which aims to overthrow the "semi-colonial and semi-feudal Indian state" through protracted people' ...

Malli Mastan Babu Mastan Babu Malli (3 September 1974 – 24 March 2015) was an Indian mountaineer. He is best known for his 2006 world record of climbing the Seven Summits in the shortest span of time at that point - a total of 172 days with the first climb ...

, mountaineer and world's fastest seven summiteer. * Vice Admiral Murlidhar Sadashiv Pawar, present Deputy chief of naval staff.

References

External links

Official website of Sainik School, Korukonda

Official website of Association Saikorian, Aulmni Association of Sainik School Korukonda
{{Indian military academies and colleges Sainik schools Schools in Vizianagaram district Educational institutions established in 1962 1962 establishments in Andhra Pradesh