Eklavya Model Residential Schools

Governance Issues Education

Context: The government is pushing to set up 740 Eklavya Model Residential Schools (EMRS) for tribal students.

One each in every sub-district that has at least a 20,000-odd Scheduled Tribe population, which must be 50% of the total population in that area.

It was first introduced in 1997-98 to provide quality education to tribal students with residential facilities in remote corners.
The aim was to build schools at par with the Jawahar Navoday Vidyalayas and Kendriya Vidyalayas.
Until 2018-19, the scheme was overseen by the Ministry of Tribal Affairs with maximum control of identifying new schools, recruiting, management and admissions lying with State governments.
While the Union government had sanctioned a certain number of preliminary EMRS, the guideline of the scheme noted that States and Union Territories would be responsible for seeking sanction of new schools as and when they needed it.
The funds for these schools were to come from the grants under Article 275(1) and the guidelines mandated that unless States finished constructing the schools sanctioned by the Centre, they would not be entitled to funds for new ones.
Apart from the infrastructural requirements of 20-acre plots for each EMRS, the guidelines did not have any criteria of where the EMRS could be set up, leaving it to the discretion of State governments.

Comprehensive physical, mental and socially relevant development of all students enrolled in each and every EMRS. Students will be empowered to be change agents, beginning in their school, in their homes, in their village and finally in a larger context.
Focus differentially on the educational support to be made available to those in Standards XI and XII, and those in standards VI to X, so that their distinctive needs can be met.
Support the annual running expenses in a manner that offers reasonable remuneration to the staff and upkeep of the facilities.
Support the construction of infrastructure that provides education, physical, environmental and cultural needs of student life.

Admission to these schools will be through selection/competition with suitable provision for preference to children belonging to Primitive Tribal Groups, first generation students, etc.
Sufficient land would be given by the State Government for the school, play grounds, hostels, residential quarters, etc., free of cost.
The number of seats for boys and girls will be equal.
Education will be entirely free.
Every class can have maximum 60 students preferably in 2 sections of 30 students each and the total sanctioned strength of the school will be 480 students.
At the Higher Secondary level (class XI & XII), there will be three sections per class for the three streams in Science, Commerce & Humanities.
The maximum sanctioned strength of each section may be 30 students.

It gave the Union government more power to sanction schools and manage them.
A National Education Society for Tribal Students (NESTS) was set up and entrusted with the management of the State Education Society for Tribal Students (SESTS), which would run the EMRS on the ground.
It sets a target of setting up an EMRS in every tribal sub-district and introduced a “population criteria” for setting them up.
It reduced the minimum land requirement from 20 acres to 15 acres.
The Standing Committee noted that the population criteria ran the risk of depriving a “scattered tribal population” of the benefit of EMRS, “which are a means towards their educational empowerment”.

Despite the setting up of the NESTS, there was a shortage of teachers.
While the new guidelines allowed NESTS to suggest measures for teacher recruitment, they never mandated that States follow it.
This led to non-uniformity in the quality of teachers, not enough recruitment in reserved positions, and a large number of schools recruiting teachers contractually.