Sainik School Kazhakootam - A Virtual Tour

Sainik School Kazhakootam, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India, is a residential school under the Ministry of Defence, Government of India, located approximately 18 km away from Thiruvananthapuram city beside Kazhakoottam - Venjarammoodu bypass and 1 km away from National Highway 66.[3][4] The concept of Sainik Schools was proposed by V. K. Krishna Menon, who was India's first Defence Minister from 1957 to 1962.[5][6] The objective was to set up schools run on military lines in each state of India, which would facilitate the grooming of boys for intake into the National Defence Academy, thus, rectifying the regional and class imbalance in the officer cadre of the Indian Military. Sainik School Kazhakootam started functioning in the barracks lent by the Indian Army at the army camp at Pangode, Thiruvananthapuram, on 20 January 1962. The initial intake was to classes V, VI, VII, and, VIII, and the strength at inception was 120. This increased to 132 six months later when admission to class XI was opened. The founder principal, headmaster, and registrar were Lt. Col. B. K. Somaiah, Sqn. Ldr. Babu Lal, and Capt. T. V. S. Nair, respectively. The foundation stone of the new campus at Kazhakootam was laid by the then Defence Minister of India, V. K. Krishna Menon on 5 February 1962. Prof. J. C. Alexander, a professor at the College of Engineering, Trivandrum, designed the academic block, the 11 dormitories, and other associated infrastructure. The school shifted to the new campus in 1964.[11]