About Eklavya Model Residential Schools:
- It is a flagship intervention of the Ministry of Tribal Affairs launched in 1998.
- It aims 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 was revamped during the year 2018-19 to expand the geographical outreach and enhance the quality of facilities.
- EMRSs to be set up in every block with more than 50% ST population and at least 20,000 tribal persons.
- Governance: 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.
- Features of Eklavya Model Residential Schools:
- 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.
- Infrastructure: The school infrastructure will include classroom, administrative block, hostels, playground.
- 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. And also reservation of 20% of seats under sports quota for deserving ST students who have excelled in the field of sports.
