Full Form for DAV: Founder, History, Best DAV Schools

The full form of DAV schools is Dayanand Anglo Vedic, and Arya Samaj founded it with the motto of "Lead us from darkness unto light." Among all the national schools, DAV is one of the oldest schools that has developed with time.The first DAV school was started at Lahore on 1st June 1886 with Mahatma Hansraj's self-abnegation as a monument of Swami Dayanand Saraswati.

Lala Hansraj, also known as Mahatma Hansra, 1864 to 1938, was an Indian educationist and a disciple of Arya Samaj movement founder Swami Dayanand. He founded the Dayanand Anglo-Vedic Schools System (DAV) with Gurudatta Vidhyarthi in Lahore in 1886, where the first DAV was established. Today DAV Schools are based worldwide, almost in every state and city.

What is DAV?

DAV the Dayanand Anglo Vedic is a non-governmental educational organisation in India and overseas. Founded in 1886 in Lahore, these schools are run by the Dayanand Anglo-Vedic College Trust and Management Society, also commonly known as the Dayanand Anglo-Vedic Education Society.

The DAV Society, initiated with missionary zeal to retrieve the lost brilliance and magnificence of Vedic values in 1886, with Mahatma Hansraj as its originating principal at the first institution of the DAV in Lahore. The schools are prominent in India as it is widely spread worldwide, many individuals also enrol themselves here to study in any branch of DAV.

There are 900 schools at present with 75 colleges and a university. The Dayanand Anglo-Vedic education system also comprises colleges offering graduate and post-graduate degrees in areas of study all over India. Since its inception over a century ago, the DAV Institutions have played a significant role in India's educational and cultural renovation.

It was the commencement of a nationalist movement that was soon budding into a sole institution with a countrywide presence highlighting the harmonious convergence of Indian values, culture, and modern technology.

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History of DAV Schools

In the latter half of the 19th century, India lay in a socio-political tumult. It led Maharishi Dayanand, one of the great thinkers of the time, to form the Arya Samaj for the rational, emotional, and religious renewal of the Indian Society.

With a call, "Back to the Vedas," he submitted the guiding principles of the Arya Samaj, in which the leading was the spread of education. He believed that this would guide development throughout the length and breadth of the country.

The Samaj meant the abolition of Hinduism of its obsolete and regressive application that burdened its followers' minds. Animal sacrifice and slander of idol worship were the chief outcomes of this movement. The principles of the movement, with its balanced appeal, soon had the whole country following it.

After his demise, a group of progressive, dedicated, and constant followers committed to the task of nation-building. They couldn't think of a better method to commemorate the great reformer than realizing his dream of building a cultured nation on the Vedic foundation.

They translated his vision into authenticity with the founding of Dayanand Anglo Vedic (DAV) College Trust and Management Society. Today there are more than 780 DAV schools spread across the country.

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Aim of DAV Schools

Every academic institution aims to provide a holistic learning experience for children to grow mentally, morally, and emotionally to their full potential. The DAV schools intend to provide and convey valuable services, fundamental knowledge, and education.

However, education aims to light the lamp of experience in every student's heart and make them clean and ideal. The following points shed light on the aim of the DAV Schools:

• The main motto is to teach the student with original and ground-breaking methods and the basic subjects.
• The objective is to prepare the child by concentrating on developing their personality balanced with different modern techniques to expand their strong character, unified essence, and healthy mental attitude.
• To develop proficiency in students to face challenges of day-to-day life.
• To distinguish the talent of each student and hone their skills to offer an edge over others.
• To make sure physical growth and proficiency in games.
• To prepare them to be good human beings who foster relationships and are morally sound individuals.
• To organize leaders of tomorrow efficiently.
• To train students to become proficient in competing in the global market.
• To give an atmosphere for pleasant growth that prepares them to maintain balance through the thick and thin of life.

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Objectives of DAV Schools

DAV schools have specific objectives that demonstrate its vision to give world-class education to the youth for the utmost development.

Below are a few objectives of DAV schools:

• To help children bloom in their social development.
• To support children to develop their imaginative ability and to give prospects to express their creativity.
• To provide children with an abundance of experience to understand the world around them and manage their actions.
• To initiate the child towards artistic appreciation.
• To instil positive values, i.e., moral development through prayers, poems, and stories of real-life events.
• To ensure academic excellence by providing a world-class education.
• To encourage co-curricular activities, including games and sports.
• To implant confidence in the learners by cheering the art of public speaking.
• To enlarge the scientific attitude among the students.
• To generate environmental consciousness among the students.
• To endorse the student's deference for ancient Indian thought, traditions, and cultural values.

However, they assemble high moral character by teaching the students fundamental life values like sympathy, lenience, truth, honesty, and universal brotherhood.

Some of the other objects include,

• To instil a sense of function and discipline among the students.
• To help the students cultivate into useful citizens of Society.
• To provide sufficient opportunities to every child, bring out their talents, and enlarge their personality.
• To help the child attain their best and provide harmonious development of their head, hand, and heart.
• To help the children exhibit their finest qualities under new exam reforms executed by the Central Board Of Secondary Education. 
• To instil the spirit of patriotism, national amalgamation, and social service in tune with the Central Board of Secondary Education strategies.

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Curriculum of DAV Schools

According to the Central Board of Secondary Education, the syllabi and course of study are planned till secondary level, i.e., class 10, and at the 12th level. The options for the 12th level students are MPC with Biotechnology or Computers and BPC with Biotechnology or Computers.

Moreover, the arts group offers Math, Economics, and Commerce with Computer as an optional subject.  Salient Features of DAV are as follows.

• Experienced, trained, and dedicated staff in every branch.
• Equal importance on proficiency in both languages, Hindi and English, and encouragement
• The study of Sanskrit.
• Hobbies and co-curricular activities such as Painting, Gardening, and Clay Modelling
• A close connection between parents and teachers
• The school seeks to instil in young minds the original values of truthfulness, fearlessness, and acceptance through various activities.
• Moral science is taught to support value education as our constant endeavour is to make our student's enhanced individuals.

In a nutshell, conscious efforts are made to mould the students to face the challenges of the 21st century with competency, self-assurance, and consideration. Textbooks recommended by the DAV Education Board are prescribed for classes up to class VIII. For the rest, CBSE approved schools follow NCERT books.

Apart from educational (academic) excellence, the students are given a balanced training in:

• Arts and Craft
• Music
• Classical Dance
• Western Dance
• Computers.
• Karate and Aerobics
• Yoga
• Abacus

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Best DAV Schools in India

There are over 900 DAV Schools in India and overseas. However, we have mentioned a few of the best ones for consideration and evaluation to take admission into the next academic year.

Below are the top 20 DAV Schools in India.

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