The government of India has a program called Eklavya Model Residential School (EMRS) that aims to build model residential schools for Scheduled Tribes (STs) throughout the country. Launched in 1997–1998 to guarantee that tribal children have access to quality education in remote tribal communities, it is one of the Ministry of Tribal Affairs’ signature initiatives. Each school can accommodate 480 children, ranging in class from sixth to twelfth. Candidates who are not members of the ST may fill 10% of the EMRS seats (which shall not exceed the total strength of 480). 367 EMRS are now operating in India. The National Education Society for Tribal Students (NESTS) was established as an independent body within the Ministry to offer general assistance and policy guidance to the schools and bring about uniformity in the management of the schools.
Background History of Eklavya Model Residential School
- Despite an increase in literacy rates among STs from 8.53% in 1961 to 58.96% in 2011, and even though the Right to Education Act of 2009 requires that all children between the ages of 6 and 14 must receive free and compulsory education, there are still notable differences in enrolment rates and drop-out rates across states, districts, and blocks. STs make up 8.6% of the country’s total population and 11.3% of the total rural population.
- According to the Statistics of School Education 2010-2011, tribals continue to have exceptionally high dropout rates, which were 35.6% in Classes I to V, 55% in Classes I to VIII, and 70.9% in Classes I to X in 2010–11.
- The lack of education for some groups in India, particularly SCs, STs, and Muslims, is attributed to economic and sociocultural issues, according to the South Asia regional study All Children in School by 2015, which was supported by UNICEF.
- According to the India Human Development Survey, the STs (49.6%), SCs (32.3%), and Muslims (30.6%) have the greatest rates of poverty.
Objective of Eklavya Model Residential School
Providing quality education, environmental awareness, a value-oriented approach, English language proficiency, and, above all, achieving the goal of all-around personality development are the main objectives of a progressive co-educational, English-medium, residential school.
In delivering education, the school seeks to lead the students through a system that goes beyond just academic success to the development of the whole person. The key to this process of development is the initial installation of attitudes that allow the child to naturally develop into a well-balanced person who will successfully confront the difficulties of the world and responsibly contribute to global growth.
- To achieve the objectives of quality, equity, and social justice.
- Encourage national integration by giving smart students, mostly from rural and tribal areas of the district, the chance to live and learn together and reach their full potential.
- To deliver high-quality modern education that has a strong cultural component, the application of values, environmental awareness, adventurous activities, and physical education.
- To act as a focal point for the enhancement of the standard of school education through the exchange of resources and expertise.
Budget for Eklavya Model Residential School
A report submitted to the Rajya Sabha states that the Indian government has allotted Rs 1,449 crore for 332 Eklavya Model Residential Schools (EMRS) around the nation. The Minister of Tribal Affairs, Renuka Singh Saruta, provided the aforementioned numbers.
The Ministry of Tribal Affairs of the federal government has reportedly given the states and union territories a total of Rs 1,449.24 crore since 2017 for the expansion and improvement of EMRS. In 2019–2020, the sum will have more than doubled from Rs. 682 crores in 2017–2018. The largest amount of money, at Rs 310 crore, has been given to Madhya Pradesh because it has the most operational EMRS.
Structure of Eklavya Model Residential School
Children from primitive tribal groups, first-generation students, etc. will be prioritized in the selection/competition process for admission to these institutions.
b) The state government will provide enough land, free of charge, for school playgrounds, hostels, residential areas, etc.
c) There shall be an equal number of seats for boys and girls.
d) All instruction in these schools shall be provided at no cost.
e) The maximum number of students in each class is 60, ideally divided into two parts of 30 children each, while the school’s maximum sanctioned enrollment is 480.
f) There will be three sections in each class for the three streams of science, commerce, and humanities at the higher secondary level (classes XI and XII). Each section may have a maximum of 30 approved students.
Location of the Eklavya Model Residential School
- Since 2000, thirteen EMRS schools have been operating in three phases in the tribal areas of Odisha. The following locations are mentioned: 1. Bhawanipur, Sundargarh 2. Dhanghera, Mayurbhanj 3. Pungar, Koraput 4. Kandhamal 5. Hirli, Nabarangpur 6. Siriguda, Rayagada 7. Gajapati 8. Ranki, Keonjhar 9. Laing, Sundargarh 10. Lahunipada, Sundargarh 11. Rampilo, Jajpur 12. Nuapada 13. Malkangiri
- In West Bengal, there are seven “Eklavya Model Residential Schools” operating in the districts of Bankura, Purulia, Burdwan, Paschim Medinipur, Jalpaiguri, Birbhum, and Dakshin Dinajpur with funding from the state government and the government of India.
- In the 2013–2014 academic year, two new EMRSs in Bolpur Santiniketan (Birbhum) and Buniadpur (Dakshin Dinajpur) began operations. In each school, there are 420 available seats. There are now 2072 students enrolled overall. Scholarships, free housing, and other benefits are offered to students accepted to these institutions.
Conclusion
- Every child has natural talent, which the school and instructors should work to identify, which is the core principle of Eklavya.
- Children from Scheduled Tribes (ST) may experience good quality education as a result of EMRS.
- The plan also includes playgrounds, computer labs, and teacher resource rooms in addition to school buildings, including dormitories and staff quarters.
- Students in ST will gain a great deal from this effort.
- Without regard to a student’s familial background, teachers must foster every student’s potential so they can succeed in life.
- Therefore, the goal of Eklavya is to revolutionize elementary and secondary education for tribal people using a distinctive approach.
- By concentrating on targeted interventions to meet STs’ educational needs, it is anticipated that their quality of life will rise to the level of other social groups and have an influence by the 2021 Census.