New Delhi, Nov 18 (PTI) The Border Security Force (BSF) on Monday signed an agreement with an IB-affiliated school in Bengaluru to provide free education to 100 children of paramilitary personnel.
With approximately 2.65 lakh personnel, the BSF operates under the Union ministry of home affairs and is primarily responsible for guarding India's borders with Pakistan and Bangladesh, in addition to performing various internal security duties.
A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between the BSF and the United World Academy, Bengaluru, at the BSF headquarters here.
The agreement provides 100 free seats for schoolgoing children of serving BSF personnel, as well as children of those who have lost their lives in the line of duty, starting from the next academic year, an officer said.
BSF Director General Daljit Singh Chawdhary urged force personnel to take advantage of this opportunity to secure a better future for their children.
He also instructed commanding officers to convey the message about the latest MoU to "the last trooper on the border" through 'Sainik Sammelans' (troop meetings) and other communication channels.
Under the MoU, the admission and academic fees for the 100 sponsored children will be completely waived. However, the boarding expenses of approximately Rs 1.75 lakh per annum per child will need to be covered by the family.
The school offers an International Baccalaureate (IB) curriculum, in addition to being affiliated with Cambridge IGCSE.
Chawdhary had previously signed similar MoUs with the same school for the children of personnel from two other forces he led earlier, the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) and the National Security Guard (NSG) and also for the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) in which he served.