Today I am grateful for the “KV” (Kendriya Vidyalaya) education.
As I think back on my school days, the fact that Dad put me in Kendriya Vidyalaya made all the difference to the way I turned out. A KV is mini India with all the diversity in each classroom. The armed forces personnel get posted out every few years, so mostly their children study in Kendriya Vidyalayas. Its difficult to look for school admission in every new location. Also the Army, Navy or Air Force stations are self-contained colonies away from the city centre.
For those reasons, KV was created. I studied in three KV’s, KV Dehu Road, KV Happy Valley (Shillong) and KV AFA Dindigul (Hyderabad). My first and second standard was in a convent school in Dehu Road.
A KV prepares you for life – you get exposure to different sub-cultures, backgrounds, languages, foods and religions. You accept change so much more easily because you do change locations every few years. You make friends easily and never struggle to break ice with strangers. With the pre-dominance of armed forces’ children, you also grow up being a patriot. I don’t think a single terrorist has come out of a Kendriya Vidyalaya !
Read Rajiv Malhotra’s Grand Narrative on why we should have only KV type schools in India.
