Target to set up 728 EMRS benefitting 3.5 lakh ST students: Govt tells Parliament

NEW DELHI: The tribal affairs ministry is going to set up a total of 728 Eklavya Model Residential Schools (EMRS) to benefit around 3.5 lakh Scheduled Tribe (ST) students across the country, the Minister of State (MoS) for tribal affairs Durga Das Uikey told Rajya Sabha today.

Under the scheme, the government had decided to establish 440 EMRSs, one school in every block having more than 50% ST population and at least 20,000 tribal persons, the minister informed. Initially, 288 Eklavya schools were funded under Grants, which are being upgraded as per the new model.

Uikey informed the Parliament the central sector scheme was launched in the year 2018-19 to provide quality education at par with Navodaya Vidyalaya to the tribal children in their own environment.

The government is providing various facilities in EMRS including science and computer labs, separate hostels for boys and girls with essential amenities like bedding, furniture, and hygiene facilities, playgrounds, extra-curricular activities, regular health check-ups, skill development and vocational training programmes to enhance employability.

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Initiatives for ST students

The minister also mentioned that the tribal affairs ministry has established the National Education Society for Tribal Students (NESTS) to manage the scheme. It is also implementing several initiatives in collaboration with other government bodies to provide tribal students with access to digital and skill-based education including smart classrooms, 400 skill labs in 200 EMRS, online coaching classes for the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) and the National Eligibility Entrance Test (NEET).

Additionally, state EMRS societies have been asked to cover the application fees for national-level entrance examinations such as NEET, JEE, Common Law Admission Test (CLAT), and more for students studying in Class 12 in EMRS.