Ekalavya Model Residential Schools: 229 sanctioned EMRS yet to open, budget slashed by up to 60%

Shradha Chettri & K Nitika Shivani

Eklavya Model Residential School: Fourteen-year-old Shaknol Lepcha had been eagerly waiting for her school to re-open after the winter break. Even though it means being away from home and her parents, Lepcha adds, “We get chicken twice in a week, and for breakfast we get bread. I have my own bunker bed and there are so many things to do at the school.”

Lepcha is among the first 125 batch of students studying at the recently-opened Eklavya Model Residential School (EMRS) in Kalimpong, West Bengal. Belonging to a village called Gitdabling in Kalimpong, Lepcha was admitted to the school in Class 6. The boarding school has become an important space for her to be able to eat, play and experience, which she would not be able to do at home.

These schools have opened an important gateway of opportunities for tribal students, but rather slow opening of EMRS as against the sanctioned strength, the centralisation of recruitment and delay in filling teacher vacancies have been an impediment, says stakeholders.

Even though their numbers are small, over the years the dropout rate in EMRS has been rising.

Analysis of the allocation and utilisation of funds for the scheme also shows a worrying trend of the budget being halved in the revised estimate. For instance, in FY 2025-26, the scheme was allocated Rs 7,088.60 crore; the revised budget stood at Rs 4,900 crore.

Earlier, EMRS was a component under Article 275(1) of the Constitution. Under the new scheme, the government decided to establish one EMRS in every block with more than 50% ST and at least 20,000 tribal population (as per census 2011).

EMRS has 1,53,506 students enrolled across the country, of whom 77,960 are female and 75,546 male.

The National Educational Society for Tribal Students (NESTS), an autonomous body under the ministry of tribal affairs looks after these schools. It was established in 2019.

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EMRS: 723 sanctioned, 499 functional

The EMRS where Lepcha is studying opened two years ago but is still running from a temporary campus. The foundation stone for the permanent campus in Charkhole was laid recently.

Gyachen, Lepcha’s father adds, “I hope when my elder son finishes Class 10, the school will be fully functional and he can also study there for Class 12. My daughter has become smart.” His son studies at the village secondary school.

West Bengal has nine EMRS sanctioned; eight are functional.

The government recently stated in parliament that out of the total 723 sanctioned, 499 are functional. Among those functional, only 367 run from their own buildings, shows the ministry’s EMRS dashboard.

A parliamentary panel report in 2024 had raised concerns over the slow opening of the EMRS and their operation from temporary spaces. The standing committee headed by BJP MP PC Mohan had recommended that the ministry build each school in two-three years and sanction Ekalavya Schools only if land is available. The government had cited shortage of land as the cause for delay.

States like Odisha, Jharkhand and the northeastern states have large numbers of non-functional EMRS. In Odisha, 22% of the total population constitutes ST communities.

The parliamentary panel had also raised concern over the infrastructure gaps in the EMRS established under the old scheme.

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“The committee found that facilities such as food, mattress, utensils, including maintenance of the building, were not up to the mark.…Many EMRS have been running without basic facilities and required infrastructure such as compound walls, labs, sports facilities, additional classrooms, staff quarters, hostel blocks, furniture etc,” the panel report said.

Ekalavya Model Schools: Teacher vacancies

The NESTS website puts the total number of teachers working in EMRS at 9,318 and the non-teaching staff at 4,495. As per the ministry, 31 teaching and 21 non-teaching posts are sanctioned per EMRS with classes up to 12 and a full strength of 480 students.

Even for just the functional schools, the numbers don’t meet the ministry’s target, despite multiple rounds of recruitment between 2023 and 2025.

A Class 6 student at an EMRS in Chittoor district, Andhra Pradesh, said, “Teachers change frequently, and some classes are irregular. We write exams, but I don’t feel confident about what I know.”

Another student at an EMRS in Salem, Tamil Nadu, said, “Several subjects do not have regular teachers. Classes are merged, portions are rushed. I just want to finish school and leave.”

Teacher vacancies are particularly visible in parts of Tamil Nadu. At one EMRS, positions remain unfilled for long periods, forcing subject teachers to be shared or rotated. A teacher there said she handles multiple grades out of necessity.

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EMRS: Centralised hiring, language barriers

Before NESTS started recruitment, EMRS teachers were hired by state governments. With NESTS came uniform recruitment rules.

In 2025, a Hindi proficiency test was made compulsory. Following objections, the criterion was removed for recruitment of trained graduate teachers (TGT) but retained for postgraduate teachers (PGT). This excluded many from non-Hindi-speaking backgrounds. Plus, centralised recruitments also meant teachers being allotted schools in other states and regions.

These policies introduced steep language barriers between teachers and the local students. A teacher from Haryana, who for a while was working in Telangana, said on condition of anonymity, “I don’t understand Telugu. Children here don’t understand Hindi. It is a tough time, transfers are also difficult.”

Transfer requests can be made online only.

Sapana, a candidate from Darjeeling who recently cleared the tier-1 recruitment, said, “Though Hindi was my third language in school, I managed to pass somehow. Now, even if I clear tier II, my concern is the posting, because the EMRS in our area still does not have Classes 11, 12.”

For such concerns the ministry says it has made arrangements “to conduct sessions on regional/local languages in collaboration with State Educational Societies” and that while posting staff, “preference is given to ST candidates from the state depending on the vacancy.”

With changes in staffing patterns, and infrastructure shortage, academic performance has taken a hit and dropout rates have risen.

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Rising school dropout rates

Although modelled on the Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas (JNV), EMRS pass percentages are relatively low. The NESTS dashboard puts the pass percentages of Classes 10 and 12 at 88.43% and 82.8%, respectively.

Some are affiliated to CBSE; others with state boards.

Dropout rates are also rising for these schools. In 2024-25, it stood at 0.40%, up from 0.11% in 2021-22. At 2.02%, Uttar Pradesh’s was the highest.

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Class-wise enrollment figures show clear and steady attrition as cohorts progress through the levels.

Source: NESTS portal

EMRS: Funding delays, infrastructure

In many campuses, classrooms are simple but functional. Hostels run. Kitchens operate daily. From the outside, the system appears intact. But teaching, say teachers, depends on resources far more fragile.

A senior teacher from Hosur in Tamil Nadu explains how small gaps accumulate into learning loss. “Buildings exist. Classrooms exist. But smart boards stop working and stay that way for months because approvals take time. When a board fails, lessons planned around visual teaching collapse. Children lose interest quickly. We return to dictation and copying, not because we want to, but because we have no choice.”

At an EMRS in Salem, teachers say funding delays affect everyday functioning. Requests for laboratory materials, library books and basic repairs move slowly through official channels. Months can pass without response. Plans are repeatedly scaled down to fit existing resources.

At Lepcha’s school, there is a computer lab, but there are no science labs.

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In Tiruvanamalai district, a principal who has served in an EMRS, says administrative delays often force staff to rely on personal funds. Emergency transport, minor repairs, printing study materials and fuel for generators are paid upfront, with reimbursement uncertain.

A teacher working in a residential campus in Telangana said: “These schools are funded as if they are day schools. But residential schools run 24 hours a day. Electricity, water, food, repairs, teaching aids – everything is continuous”. Academic needs are often pushed aside to keep hostels functioning. “When budgets are tight, priority goes to survival. Lab materials, library books, smart classroom maintenance come later, or not at all. You stop planning for quality and start managing shortages.”

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Ekalvya Model Schools: Funds, utilisation

The ministry had told the parliament panel that from April, 2025, its per-student per-annum cost is Rs 1,47,062. The panel countered, pointing out that the JNVs spend Rs 1,56,000 per child for 9 months of functioning.

It also flagged the poor utilisation of budget allocations. The budget estimate for EMRS has risen over the years but since 2023-24, has been revised down to much smaller amounts as the table below shows.

In revised budgets, EMRS have faced between 25% and close to 60% cuts in allocation.