To provide good quality modern education-including a strong component of culture, inculcation of values, awareness of the environment, adventure activities and physical education- to the talented children predominantly from the rural areas without regard to their family's socio-economic condition

The National Policy on Education-1986 envisaged setting up of residential schools, to be called Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas, that would bring out the best of rural talent. 

It was felt that children with special talent or aptitude should be provided opportunities to progress at a faster pace by making good quality education available to them irrespective of their capacity to pay for it. Such education would enable students from rural areas to compete with their urban counterparts on an equal footing; seamlessly assimilating and intefrating them into the mainstream of the society.

• To provide facilities, at a suitable stage, for instruction through a common medium, viz., Hindi and English, all over the country.
• Offer a common core-curriculum to ensure comparability in standards and to facilitate and understand the common and composite heritage of our people.
• To progressively bring students from one part of the country to another in each school to promote national integration and enrich the social content.
• To serve as a focal point for improvement in quality of school education through training of teachers in live situations and sharing of experiences and facilities.
• To establish, develop, maintain and manage hostels for the residence of students of Navodaya Vidyalayas.
• To aid, establish and conduct other institutions as may be required for the furtherance of the Society's objects in any part of India
• To do all such things as may be considered necessary, incidental or conducive to the attainment of all or any of the objects of the society.