Race hots up for schools of specialised excellence – Times of India

The newly introduced Armed Forces Preparatory School (AFPS) has received over 18,000 applications for the 200 seats on offer.

For the 2021-22 academic session, 26,687 applications were received for the 20 new SoSEs. This year, 11 more such schools have been added, with AFPS set up as a residential school at Jharoda Kalan.
SoSEs are specialised schools affiliated to the Delhi Board of School Education and follow the International Baccalaureate programme.

Admissions to STEM and AFPS are being conducted for Classes IX and XI. For other specialisations — humanities, performing and visual arts and 21st-century skills — new students are being taken in only for Class IX. Of the 31 SoSEs, 12 have STEM whereas seven offer humanities, performing and visual arts. Seven schools offer 21st-century skills.

Admissions to these courses are taking place through an entrance exam, which are already under way. The process will end on March 28. As much as 50% of seats are reserved for students of Delhi government schools. To be eligible, one needs to be a resident studying in a Delhi school.

AFPS was announced in the 2021 Budget. In the first session, 120 boys and 80 girls will be admitted. For Class IX, as many as 7,260 applications have been received. The number for Class XI is far higher at 11,868. For admission to this course, interviews and medical/physical examinations will be conducted, apart from an aptitude test.

“The physical and medical examinations will be similar to the requirements for NDA,” a senior government official said.

The government has roped in retired Army officers to train the students. The school will have an academic and a service preparatory wing. In Classes IX and X, the students will pursue the basics in subjects like mathematics, English, Hindi (spoken and written), general sciences and social sciences. The other half of the curriculum will help the students hone a variety of attributes and skills, apart from taking part in activities related to the armed forces.