Army Welfare Education Society

Army Public Schools

The Army Public Schools (APS) form the largest component of AWES.

They operate at military stations and cantonments across India and are intended primarily to provide continuity of education to children of Army personnel whose families may be transferred between postings.

The schools generally follow the NCERT curriculum and are affiliated with the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE).

A common academic structure across the network is intended to allow children of Army personnel to transfer between schools, including during an academic session, with less disruption.

The institutions were historically known as Army Schools. The network subsequently adopted the name Army Public Schools in 2011.

AWES has more than 130 Army Public Schools across the country.

Among them are:

• Army Public School, Dhaula Kuan, New Delhi
• Army Public School, Shankar Vihar, New Delhi
• Army Public School, Delhi Cantt
• Army Public School, Pune
• Army Public School, Chennai
• Army Public School, Lansdowne
• Army Public School, Binnaguri
• Army Public School, Gorakhpur
• Army Public School, Bengaluru
• Army Public School, Chandimandir
• Army Public School, Lucknow
• Army Public School, Kolkata
• Army Public School, Mumbai
• Army Public School, Udhampur

Individual Army Public Schools are administered locally through School Administration and Management Committees while broad policy, academic coordination and administrative guidelines are provided by AWES.

Army Pre Primary Schools

AWES also supports the network of Army Pre Primary Schools (APPS) operating at military stations.

The pre-primary institutions developed separately at local military stations before being brought under a more coordinated early-childhood education framework.

In 2005, the Army Pre-school Education Council was established in association with the Army Wives Welfare Association to develop common early-childhood-care and education guidelines. The institutions subsequently adopted the Army Pre Primary School nomenclature.

AWES provides support in areas including:

• curriculum development;
• books and learning material;
• teacher training; and
• transition of children into primary education.

Approximately 250 Army Pre Primary Schools operate across India.

Professional education

AWES operates 12 professional colleges and institutes across India.

The professional-education system developed from a 1994 initiative to establish institutions of higher education specifically for the wards of Army personnel.

The institutions cover engineering, medicine, dentistry, nursing, management, law, education, hospitality and design.

Army Institute of Technology

The Army Institute of Technology (AIT) at Pune was conceived in 1994 as one of AWES's first ventures into professional higher education.

The institute provides undergraduate engineering programmes and primarily caters to children of Army personnel.

Army College of Medical Sciences

The Army College of Medical Sciences (ACMS) is located in Delhi Cantonment.

Established in 2008, it provides undergraduate medical education and is affiliated with Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University.

Army College of Dental Sciences

The Army College of Dental Sciences (ACDS) at Secunderabad provides undergraduate and postgraduate dental education.

Army Institute of Law

The Army Institute of Law (AIL) was established in 1999 and operates at Mohali, Punjab.

It provides undergraduate and postgraduate legal education.

Army Institute of Management

The Army Institute of Management, Kolkata provides postgraduate management education.

It forms part of AWES's professional-education network serving Army families.

Governance

AWES has a multi-level governance structure connecting Army Headquarters, Army Commands and local military formations.

The Chief of the Army Staff serves as Patron-in-Chief. Army Commanders serve as patrons at command level.

The Board of Governors is the principal policy-making body of the society. An Executive Committee headed by the Adjutant General implements the broad directions of the Board of Governors.

The central AWES secretariat is administered by a Managing Director, traditionally a retired Army officer of major-general rank.

At the individual-school level, Army Public Schools operate through local School Administration and Management Committees under formation commanders.

This structure permits central coordination of education policy while retaining local administration at individual military stations.

Legal status

AWES is a society registered under the Societies Registration Act, 1860 rather than a statutory government body.

In 2024, the Supreme Court of India held in Army Welfare Education Society, New Delhi v. Sunil Kumar Sharma that AWES was not a "State" within the meaning of Article 12 of the Constitution of India for the employment dispute before it.

The Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh High Court subsequently noted that the relationship between AWES and its employees is generally contractual and that the society's schools are financially autonomous rather than government-funded institutions.

Objectives

The stated objectives of AWES include:

• providing educational facilities for children of serving and retired Army personnel;
• creating technical, professional and vocational education opportunities;
• operating co-educational Army Public Schools at affordable cost;
• coordinating curriculum and teacher development for Army Pre Primary Schools;
• enabling continuity of schooling for children affected by military postings;
• promoting academic achievement, discipline and character development;
• encouraging sports and co-curricular activities;
• expanding hostel facilities where required; and
• improving professional skills among teachers and educational staff.

Faculty Development and Research Centre

The Faculty Development and Research Centre (FDRC) at Shankar Vihar is AWES's central teacher-development facility.

The centre was established in 2009 to provide professional development and training for teaching and administrative staff.

Its programmes include workshops, seminars, curriculum training, leadership development and exposure to new teaching methods and educational technology.

FDRC programmes have also involved teachers from institutions outside the Army Public School network, including other military and security-force school systems.

Scale and educational network

AWES has developed into one of India's largest centrally coordinated school networks.

Its educational structure encompasses: