Admission in Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya is made on the basis of a Selection Test, designed and conducted by the CBSE. The test is called the Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya Selection Test (JNVST).
All Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas acress India are affiliated to CBSE and offer free education to children from Class-VI to XII. Each JNV is a co-educational residential institution.
Navodaya Vidyalayas envisage a progressive pattern of excellence & development aimed at identification & development of talented, bright & gifted children, predominantly from rural areas.
As per the policy of the Government, one Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya is to be established in each district. Accordingly, 62 new JNVs have been sanctioned during 2016-17 in various districts of the country. In addition to this,10 JNVs each have been sanctioned in districts having a large concentration of SC & ST population. Besides this, 3 JNVs have been sanctioned in 03 districts i.e. Senapati-II (Manipur), Ukhrul-II (Manipur) & Ratlam-II (Madhya Pradesh) as special case, bringing the total number of JNVs sanctioned to 661. Each Vidyalaya has provision for a full-fledged campus with sufficient building for classrooms, dormitories, staff-quarters, dining-hall and other infrastructural facilities viz. play-grounds, workshops, library and labs etc. The opening of new Navodaya Vidyalayas is based on the offer from the State Government to provide around 30 acres of suitable land (relaxable on case to case basis) free of cost, alongwith sufficient temporary accommodation to run the school till the completion of permanent Vidyalaya building.
The National Policy on Education-1986 envisaged setting up of residential schools, to be called Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas that would bring out the best of rural talent.
It was felt that children with special talent or aptitude should be provided opportunities to progress at a faster pace by making good quality education available to them irrespective of their capacity to pay for it. Such education would enable students from rural areas to compete with their urban counterparts on an equal footing.
The Navodaya Vidyalaya System which began as a unique experiment,is today unparalleled in the annals of school education in india and elsewhere. Its significance lies in the selection of talented rural children as the target group and the attempt to povide them quality education comparable to the best in a residential school system.
Navodaya Vidyalayas draw their students strength from talented children, selected on the basis of a merit test, called the Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya Selection Test, designed, developed and conducted initially by NCERT and now by CBSE. The test is held annually on an All India basis and at block and district levels. The test is objective, class neutral and is so designed as to ensure that rural children are not at a disadvantage while attempting it.
Admission in Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas is primarily for children from the rural areas, with provision of at least 75% seats for rural children. Seats are reserved for children from SC and ST communities in proportion to their population in the district but not less than the national average. 1/3 of the seats are filled by girl students. 3% of the seats are for disabled children.
Navodaya Vidyalayas are affiliated to CBSE and offer free education to talented children from Class-VI to XII. Entry to Navodaya Vidyalaya is made in Class-VI with lateral entry in Classes- IX & XI. Each Navodaya Vidyalaya is a co-educational residential institution providing free boarding and lodging, free school uniforms, text books, stationery, and to and fro rail and bus fare to students. However, a nominal fee @ Rs. 600/- per month is charged from the boys of Classes- IX to XII as Vidyalaya Vikas Nidhi except from the students of exempted category.
The Scheme of Navodaya Vidyalayas provides for implementation of the Three Language Formula. The third language taught in Hindi speaking districts is linked to the migration of students. All Navodaya Vidyalayas follow the Three Language Formula i.e. Regional language, English and Hindi.
The medium of instruction will be mother-tongue/regional language upto VII or VIII Class. Thereafter the common medium would be Hindi/English in all Navodaya Vidyalayas.
Navodaya Vidyalayas aim at inculcating values of national integration through migration scheme. Migration is an inter-regional exchange of students between Hindi and Non-Hindi speaking districts, which takes place for one academic year in Class-IX. Efforts are made to promote better understanding of the unity in diversity and to develop and promote understanding of the rich cultural heritage through various activities.