Eklavya Model Residential Schools:
Nearly 600 students from Eklavya Model Residential Schools (EMRS) across 12 states have cleared top entrance examinations for undergraduate studies in medicine and engineering this year, according to the Tribal Affairs Ministry’s performance assessment.
- It is a flagship intervention of the Ministry of Tribal Affairs, Government of India, to provide quality residential education to Scheduled Tribes students from Class 6th to 12th in remote areas to enable them to access the best opportunities in education and to bring them at par with the general population.
- The programme has been in operation since 1998 and was revamped during the year 2018-19 to expand the geographical outreach and enhance the quality of facilities.
- EMRSs will be set up in every block with more than 50% ST population and at least 20,000 tribal persons.
- Accordingly, the Ministry has set the target to set up 728 EMRSs across the country by the year 2026.
- The National Education Society for Tribal Students (NESTS), an autonomous organization, has been set up under the Ministry of Tribal Affairs to establish and manage EMRS across the country.
- EMRSs are co-educational residential schools from Class VI to XII.
- Eklavya schools will be on par with Navodaya Vidyalayas and will have special facilities for preserving local art and culture besides providing training in sports and skill development.
- The school infrastructure will include classroom, administrative block, hostels for boys and girls, playground, accommodation for teaching and non-teaching staff, Labs etc. facilities catering to the need of academic education as well as extracurricular activities.
- CBSE curriculum is followed in these schools, and education is completely free.
- Each school has a capacity of 480 students with an equal number of seats for boys and girls.
- Non-ST students can be admitted in these schools on seats up to 10% of the total seats.
- Reservation of 20% of seats under sports quota for deserving ST students who have excelled in the field of sports.
