Eklavya Model Residential School (EMRS)

• Eklavya Model Residential School (EMRS) is an welfare scheme of the Ministry of Tribals,Government of India aims to establish model residential schools for tribals (Scheduled Tribes) across India.
• An initiative called Eklavya Model Residential School (EMRS) aims to build model residential schools for Indian tribal students (Scheduled Tribes) for their overall development all over the country.
• It was initiated in 1997–1998 and is one of the Ministry of Tribal Affairs'' flagship initiatives to guarantee that tribal students have access to high-quality education, Vocational training and skills in remote tribal areas.
• Every block having more than 50% ST population and at least 20,000 tribal members would have Eklavya Model Residential Schools.
• Eklavya Model Residential Schools are being built, focusing on the holistic development of tribal pupils and high-quality education.
• The schools cater to students from class VI to class XII, there are 480 students allowed in each school.
• Additionally, EMRSs offer free education, including free boarding and accommodation, and are equipped with amenities that cater to the students'' on-campus needs for holistic development.
• Financing: Grants under Article 275 (1) of the Constitution were awarded to the State Governments for school construction and ongoing expenses.
• Criteria:
• By the end of 2022, an EMRS will be installed in every block with more than 50% ST population and at least 20,000 tribal members.
• It is suggested to establish Eklavya Model Day Boarding School (EMDBS) on an experimental basis in areas where the density of ST population is higher in selected Sub-Districts (90% or more) in order to give ST students who want to attend school without residential facilities more options.
• In addition to offering instruction in sports and skill development, Eklavya schools will be on par with Navodaya Vidyalaya and have particular facilities for maintaining local art and culture.

Observations of the Parliamentary Standing Committee

• Some areas are having problems procuring the land required to build EMRS despite the softening measures.
• It is "impractical" and "makes land identification more difficult" to combine the population criterion with the 15-acre requirement.

Scheme was revamped

• In 2018-19, the Cabinet approved the revamping of the EMRS scheme.
• The new guidelines 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 implement the EMRS on the ground.
• The new guidelines set a target of setting up an EMRS in every tribal sub-district and introduced a “population criteria” for setting them up.
• The new guidelines also reduced the minimum land requirement from 20 acres to 15 acres.
• Since the new revamped scheme was implemented, the Ministry of Tribal Affairs has approved 332 of the 452 targeted schools through 2021–2022.

Observations of the Parliamentary Standing Committee

• However, the Standing Committee observed in its report that a significant number of schools were being delayed because the population requirements and the acreage requirement (15 acres) were making the discovery and acquisition of land "more difficult," particularly in hilly areas, regions afflicted by left-wing extremism, and the northeast.
• It was highlighted that other issues with land acquisition persisted despite the fact that the revised criteria allowed for relaxations in these circumstances.
• The Standing Committee stated that the population criteria carried the risk of denying the advantage of EMRS, "which are a means towards their educational empowerment," to a "scattered indigenous community".
• The Committee advised modifying these standards, but cautioned against doing so at the expense of EMRS/infrastructure EMDBS requirements.
• The Committee desires that the benefits of EMRSs/EMDBS, which are a way of empowering them via education, should not be denied to these tribal territories with a widely distributed tribal population.

Situation at present

• The Tribal Affairs Ministry is adamant about keeping the new standards. According to ministry representatives, a total of 688 schools have received approval as of November, 392 of which are operational.
• 32 schools are still in the construction holding pattern out of the 688, with 230 having finished their projects and 234 continuing ongoing.
• Minister of Tribal Affairs Arjun Munda stated that after the targeted 740 schools under this criteria are established, the government will take care of serving less dense tribal groups.

Issues with the EMRS

• Land acquisition: According to the government, there is not enough land available for the construction of schools, and even when there is, the legal process to do so is difficult. This is true even in areas where the demographic requirements are met.
• Location of the land: Additionally, it was noted that "several anomalies have also been identified" in a number of the areas where the land was located and that it is taking time to fix them.
• State government: The Ministry informed the Committee that these were the problems raised by the corresponding State administrations.
• Finding a contiguous plot of land measuring 15 acres, as indicated, in locations where the demographic requirements are satisfied is turning out to be one of the most difficult issues, particularly in hilly areas, areas plagued by Left-Wing Extremism, and North-East India.