Rashtriya Military School Bengaluru Wins COAS Trophy for Best NDA Result in AY 2025-26

Rashtriya Military School Bengaluru has received the Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) Trophy for the Best National Defence Academy (NDA) Result for the academic year 2025-26, an award that recognises the school’s performance in guiding cadets towards entry into the National Defence Academy.

The trophy was presented at the Manekshaw Centre in New Delhi by the Deputy Chief of the Army Staff (Information Systems and Training). The honour places the Bengaluru institution in focus for its role in preparing students for the competitive defence examination process and for the wider demands of a career in the armed forces.

The award is specifically tied to NDA results, but it also reflects the broader function of military schools in India: providing residential education that combines academic instruction with discipline, physical training, leadership development and an early orientation towards service.

Rashtriya Military School Bengaluru, previously known as Bangalore Military School, is one of the five Rashtriya Military Schools in the country. It was founded on August 1, 1946, as the King George VI Royal Indian Military College, Bengaluru. After Independence, it became part of the network of military schools that were set up to offer quality education while fostering discipline, leadership and a sense of service.

The school functions as a military boarding institution and teaches students at the secondary and senior secondary levels. Its academic curriculum is aligned with the Central Board of Secondary Education, while its daily environment includes physical training, sports, extracurricular activities and leadership-oriented development.

For generations of students with an interest in the Armed Forces, preparation for the NDA has been a central part of that educational journey. At Rashtriya Military School Bengaluru, academic learning is paired with the physical and personal development needed for those who hope to enter military service.

The 2025-26 COAS Trophy highlights the results of that approach in the latest academic year. Although the award is based on NDA outcomes, it also points to the school’s wider contribution in nurturing young people who aspire to defence careers.

The school’s motto, “Sheelam Param Bhushanam,” meaning “Character is the highest virtue,” captures its emphasis on character-building and personal development. Military schools aim to combine classroom learning with qualities such as discipline, responsibility, teamwork and leadership.

That approach is reinforced by the residential campus environment, where students take part in structured activities beyond the classroom. Sports and physical education occupy an important place in school life, with facilities and training available in football, hockey, basketball, volleyball, cricket, tennis, badminton, swimming, boxing, athletics, judo and table tennis.

These activities help students build teamwork, competitiveness, physical conditioning and leadership from an early stage. Such traits are relevant to military life, even though success in the NDA selection process depends on multiple stages, including the written examination, Services Selection Board assessment and medical standards.

The school’s alumni, known as Georgians, include officers who have served in the armed forces as well as figures from civil services, business, sports and the entertainment industry. Among the most notable are Captain Gurbachan Singh Salaria, recipient of the Param Vir Chakra, former Vice Chief of the Naval Staff Vice Admiral Satishkumar Namdeo Ghormade, and former Vodafone Group Chief Executive Officer Arun Sarin.

The alumni network also includes External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and several other prominent personalities. Their careers reflect the range of fields in which former students of the institution have gone on to play leading roles.

Rashtriya Military School Bengaluru is part of a wider educational tradition linked to India’s effort to build institutions that offer both academic preparation and a disciplined living environment. Along with the Rashtriya Indian Military College and Sainik Schools, such institutions have contributed to the pool of candidates who progress to the Armed Forces’ training establishments.

The National Defence Academy, located at Khadakwasla near Pune, is the tri-services pre-commissioning training institution for cadets selected for the Indian Army, Navy and Air Force. Candidates for the NDA and Naval Academy examination conducted by the Union Public Service Commission must meet prescribed educational and other eligibility requirements before moving on to the next stages of selection.

For a school such as Rashtriya Military School Bengaluru, preparing students for the NDA therefore involves more than classroom performance. It requires academic grounding, physical fitness, confidence, communication skills, leadership ability and the capacity to perform under pressure in a highly competitive setting.

The COAS Trophy for AY 2025-26 offers formal recognition of the school’s performance in that effort. It also draws attention to the contribution of teachers, military staff, trainers and school leadership in creating an environment that supports students who are aiming for defence-oriented careers.

The presentation at the Manekshaw Centre in New Delhi added ceremonial weight to the award. The venue, named after Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw, is closely associated with major events involving India’s defence establishment.

For the students and administrators of Rashtriya Military School Bengaluru, the recognition is a reflection of the institution’s performance during the academic year. It also reinforces the school’s long-standing commitment to combining academic standards with the physical, leadership and character-building elements that define its military-school tradition.

As India continues to rely on institutions that prepare young people for officer-entry pathways, awards such as the COAS Trophy draw attention to the continuing role of military schools in that ecosystem. For Rashtriya Military School Bengaluru, the Best NDA Result award for AY 2025-26 adds to a decades-long legacy of education shaped by discipline, service and leadership.