Details of Eklavya Model Residential Schools
Eklavya Model Residential Schools (EMRSs) was introduced in the year 1997-98 to provide quality upper primary, secondary and senior secondary level education to Scheduled Tribes (ST) students (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.
Realizing the importance of the EMRS, in the Union Budget of 2018-19, Government announced that “The Government is committed to provide the best quality education to the tribal children in their own environment. To realize this mission, it has been decided that by the year 2022, every block with more than 50% ST population and at least 20,000 tribal persons, will have an Eklavya Model Residential School. 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.”
In terms of the aforesaid Budget announcement, Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA), in its meeting held on 17.12.18, inter-alia approved the revamping of the EMRS Scheme.
Salient Features of the Revamped Scheme:
- A separate Scheme of EMRS created. (hitherto was funded under a Special Area Programme, ‘Grants under Article 275(1) of the Constitution of India’)
- Schools are set up with a capacity of 480 students each catering to students from Class VI to XII.
- Provision for setting up of Eklavya Model Day Boarding Schools (EMDBS) in sub- districts with 90% or more ST population and 20,000 or more tribal persons.
- Minimum land of 15 acres in case of EMRS and 5 acres in case of EMDBS in order to make available better infrastructure facilities catering to the need of academic education as well as extracurricular activities.
- Construction grant of Rs. 20.00 crore per school with an additional 20% for schools in North East, hilly areas, difficult areas and areas affected by Left Wing Extremism.
- Recurring grant of Rs.1.09 lakhs per student per annum in case of EMRS and Rs. 0.85 lakhs in case of EMDBS.
- National Education Society for Tribal Students established as an autonomous Society under the Ministry of Tribal Affairs to establish, endow, maintain, control and manage schools and to do all acts and things necessary for or conducive to the promotion of such schools.
- Setting up of Centre of Excellence for sports in tribal majority districts with all related infrastructure (buildings, equipment’s etc.) including specialized state-of- the-art facilities for two identified sports (including one group sport and one individual sport) which will be common for a State.
- Utilization of upto 10% seats by non-ST students. Priority shall be given to children of EMRSs staff, children who have lost their parents to Left wing extremism and insurgencies, children of widows, children of divyang parents etc.
- Reservation of 20% seats under sports quota for deserving ST students who have excelled in the field of sports.
As on 15.06.2021, there are 620 sanctioned schools across the country out of which 367 schools have been made functional.
Achievements
The EMRSs have become an island of excellence in the remote tribal hinterlands attracting large number of tribal children. The focus under the scheme is to ensure holistic development of the students in both academic and extracurricular sphere. Through extra classes, special coaching, educational tours, exposure visits, special camps, sports camps students have been encouraged to dream high and motivated to achieve as well. Students have done exceptionally well in academics. Nearly 90% pass percentage of which 53% have secured 1st division in 10th and similarly 81% pass percentage of which 61% have secured 1st Division in 12th during the examinations of 2017-18. Students have also excelled high in sports and other co-curricular activities. A number of students from our EMRSs have successfully cleared competitive exams like NEET, IIT-JEE, National Law School etc. In the year 2017-18, 146 students have cleared NEET, 253 students have cleared JEE Main Exams, 8 have cleared CLAT. Schools have also produced several toppers in the 10th and 12th examinations.
In the sports and extra-curricular sphere, our students have brought several laurels. Students of EMRS have found a place in national teams of sports like kabaddi etc, won many national and state level championships. For e.g. the Girls of Gangyap, the famous girls’ basketball team of EMRS Gangyap in Sikkim were the Sikkim State Champions since 2008, Darjeeling Hill Basketball Champions since 2011, North East Basketball Champions CBSE Cluster 1 since 2010, CBSE Nationals Winner in 2011, 2013, Silver in 2012, Bronze in 2016 & 17; Silver in Nepal Invitational Basketball Championship in 2014, Nima Doma Bhutia selected Best Player in CBSE Nationals in 2011, 2012,2013 – won the Chacha Nehru Sport’s Award for these years. Ms. Rinky Chakma of EMRS BC Nagar, Tripura was declared Femina Miss India Tripura 2017.
In order to give a national platform to exhibit their talents, the Ministry for the first time in the year 2018-19 organized the National Level Music Competition and the National Level Sports Meet. The wining team of the Music Competition was invited to perform at Rashtrapati Bhawan on 9th August, 2019 at an event in honour of freedom fighters. With the impressive outcome of the maiden events, the Ministry decided to make it an annual feature and this year the 2nd Edition of the National EMRS Cultural Fest and the National Level Sports Meet was held at Udaipur, Rajasthan and Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh respectively during the month of December, 2019.
National Level EMRS Sports Meet:
First ever National Level Sports meet for Eklavya Model Residential School (EMRS) students organized in January 2019 at Hyderabad, Telangana.
The 2nd Edition of the National Level EMRS Sports Meet was organized in collaboration with the Government of Madhya Pradesh from 9th to 13thDecember, 2019 at Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh. Around 4500 students from across the Country participated in the Meet. Competitions were held in 16 disciplines in two age groups of Under 14 and Under 19. Madhya Pradesh emerged as the overall champions while Telangana emerged as the runners up.
National EMRS Cultural Fest
Music is an important aspect of Tribal Cultural Life for keeping the cultural spirit alive and to promote it further, Ministry of Tribal Affairs had organized the first National Music Competition in Jamshedpur, Jharkhand for all EMRSs in the country in October, 2018. The 2nd Edition of the National EMRS Cultural Fest was held in collaboration with the Government of Rajasthan from 28th to 30th November at Udaipur, Rajasthan. The second edition saw participation of around 700 students in both dance and music category.
The Ministry of Tribal Affairs reaffirms its commitment to this endless journey of knowledge attainment and enlightenment of the tribal students in the country.