Eklavya Model Residential Schools

The Tribal Affairs Ministry intends to go ahead with its plan to build new Eklavya Model Residential Schools (EMRS) on 15 acres of land in all sub-districts which have Scheduled Tribe communities of more than 20,000 people, who make up at least 50% of their total population, despite a Parliamentary panel saying that this criteria is “impractical”.

About the ‘Eklavya Model Residential Schools’ –

• Implementing ministry — Ministry of Tribal Affairs.
• Background — The scheme of EMRSs was introduced in the year 1997-98 to ensure tribal students get access to quality education in the remote tribal areas.
• Features —
  • The schools would focus to provide quality upper primary, secondary and senior secondary level education to ST Students in these areas.
  • Apart from school building including hostels and staff quarters, provision for a playground, students’ computer lab, teacher resource room etc. are also included in the EMRSs.
• Revamp of scheme — In 2018, Union Cabinet revamped the scheme with following features.
  • EMRSs will be setup in every block with more than 50% ST population and at least 20,000 tribal persons.
  • There will be an Autonomous Society under the Ministry of Tribal Affairs similar to Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti to run the EMRSs.