The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Social Justice and Empowerment has directed the Ministry of Tribal Affairs to halt the sanctioning of new Eklavya Model Residential Schools (EMRS) unless State Governments guarantee land availability beforehand.
- The Bottleneck: Over one-third of sanctioned schools remain non-functional, primarily due to the unavailability of land. This has also led to the underutilization of allocated funds.
What is the Current Status?
- Operational Gap: Out of 722 sanctioned locations, only 477 are functional.
- Infrastructure Reality: Among functional schools, 130 operate from rented or alternative government buildings rather than dedicated campuses.
- Museum Delays: The Committee highlighted slow progress in the Tribal Freedom Fighters’ Museums project, with only 3 out of 10 proposed museums inaugurated so far.
What is the EMRS Scheme?
- Nodal Ministry: Ministry of Tribal Affairs (MoTA).
- Launch: Initiated in 1997-98 to provide quality residential education to Scheduled Tribe (ST) students (Class VI to XII).
- Revamped Criteria (2018-19): An EMRS is targeted for every block with:
- More than 50% ST population.
- At least 20,000 tribal persons.
- Target: To establish 728 schools by the year 2026.
How is the Scheme Governed?
- Implementing Agency: The National Education Society for Tribal Students (NESTS), an autonomous organization under the Ministry of Tribal Affairs, manages the schools.
- Structure:
- Schools are co-educational and fully residential (capacity: 480 students).
- Modeled on Navodaya Vidyalayas but with a specific focus on tribal heritage.
- Admissions & Quotas:
- Sports Quota: 20% of seats are reserved for meritorious ST students in sports.
- Non-ST Provision: Up to 10% of seats can be allotted to non-ST students if vacancies exist.
