Navodaya Vidyalaya or Jawaharlal Navodaya Vidyalaya (JNV) is a unique school system in India which is meant especially for the education and development of talented children found in rural areas. For those who are unaware of the term ‘Talented’ or ‘Gifted’ children, Françoys Gagné defines them as “Children whose potential is distinctly above average in one or more of the following domains of human ability: intellectual, creative, social and physical. Talented students are those whose skills are distinctly above average in one or more areas of human performance.” It is important to understand the special need for educating talented children who live in villages or other remote areas where urbanisation is at its minimal. Here, facilities are insufficient, inefficient and or nil for taking care of the talents of the gifted children. Attention and encouragement is important for these students as the talents they have will get wasted which otherwise would have been utilised for nation building and its progress. To take care of this challenge the Navodaya Vidyalaya Scheme was started during the year 1985-86. As part of the programme of action of the new education policy, 1986, Govt. of India launched the scheme under the Shri. Rajiv Gandhi, the then Prime Minister of India to set up Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas in all the districts of the country making quality education available to them irrespective of their capacity to pay for it. The first two JNV schools were started in 1985-86 on experimental basis one at Amaravati (Maharashtra) and other at Jhajjar (Haryana).

Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti

Navodaya Vidyalayas are run by the Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti which is an autonomous organisation under the Ministry of Human Resource Development, Department of Secondary & Higher Education, Government of India. The Samiti has established 8 Regional Offices for the administration and monitoring of Navodaya Vidyalayas under their jurisdiction. For each Vidyalaya, there is a Vidyalaya Advisory Committee and a Vidyalaya Management Committee for the general supervision of the Vidyalaya. District Magistrate of the concerned district is the Chairman of Vidyalaya level Committee with local educationists, public representatives and officers from the District as members. The Vidyalaya Management Committee has two sub-committees i.e. Vidyalaya Purchase Advisory Sub-Committee and Vidyalaya Appointments Sub-Committee.

NVS Organisational Structure

The Chairman of the Samiti is the Honourable Minister of Human Resource Development. Honourable Minister of State for Education in the Ministry of H.R.D. is the Vice Chairman of the Samiti. The Samiti functions through an Executive Committee under the Chairmanship of Honourable  Minister of HRD. It is responsible for the management of all affairs including allocation of funds to the Samiti and has the authority to exercise all powers of the Samiti. The Executive Committee is assisted by two Sub-Committees, i.e. Finance Committee and Academic Advisory Committee, in its functions.

Navodaya Vidyalaya Sangathan Hierarchy

The executive head of the administrative pyramid is the Commissioner who executes the policies laid down by the Samiti’s Executive Committee. He/she is assisted at the Headquarters level by Joint Commissioners, Deputy Commissioners and Assistant Commissioners. At the Regional level, he/she is assisted by the Deputy Commissioners and Assistant Commissioners.