Thiruvananthapuram, Nov 26 (IANS): The ministry of defence has sanctioned six more new Sainik Schools and is also seriously considering taking over all the Sainik Schools in the country, said a union minister, Wednesday.

Addressing reporters after inaugurating the 44th All India Sainik Schools Principals Conference at the Sainik School here, Minister of State for Defence Rao Inderjit Singh said: "We are seized of the issue and it's not that we are looking into the pension and salary of the staff of Sainik Schools, but much more than that. The joint secretary, defence, is looking into this issue and is working on it."

Today the situation is such that Sainik Schools are facing a serious fund crunch as it's the state governments which take care of these, he said, adding that in many schools, the salary and pension of the staff of the school is being paid out of the fees of the students.

"The state government has a problem and we are working out things to see if it's possible to see the financial burden does not become paramount in the running of the school," added Singh.

He added that to address the shortage of defence officers six new Sainik Schools, in addition to the existing 25, would be set up. Of these, three would be in Uttar Pradesh, two in Rajasthan and one in Uttarakhand.

The three-day conference ends Friday.