1.38 lakh tribal students enrolled in 479 Eklavya residential schools: Minister Jual Oram

New Delhi, Aug 21 (IANS) As many as 1.38 lakh students are currently studying in 479 Eklavya Model Residential Schools (EMRS) for tribal students functioning across the country, the Lok Sabha was informed on Thursday.

Minister of Tribal Affairs Jual Oram, in a reply, said that in addition to the 288 EMRSs sanctioned under Article 275(1), 440 more EMRSs have been proposed across the country, bringing the total number of approved EMRSs to 728, out of which 479 are reported to be functional as on June 2025.

He said the National Education Society for Tribal Students (NESTS), an autonomous organisation, has been established under the Ministry of Tribal Affairs to manage and implement the EMRS scheme in co-ordination with State EMRS Societies.

The Minister said that in Union Budget 2018-19 it was announced that to provide quality education to tribal children in their own environment, EMRS' will be established in every block having more than 50 per cent Scheduled Tribe population and at least 20,000 tribal people (as per Census 2011).

Oram said several initiatives have been undertaken to address infrastructural gaps in EMRSs, including expediting construction, strengthening quality monitoring mechanisms, and ensuring timely provision of essential facilities such as hostels, classrooms, and staff quarters.

He said the construction cost of EMRSs was enhanced in 2021–22 to Rs 37.80 crore in plain areas and Rs 48 crore in hilly areas (from earlier Rs 20 crore and Rs 24 crore) for the 440 newly-sanctioned schools.

The Minister said that to address the issue of student dropouts and improve retention, NESTS, through State governments, has been mobilising the tribal population to enrol in EMRSs by raising awareness about the schools through participation in camps and outreach programmes.

Other steps include facilitating tribes by constructing educational facilities in the most remote areas and introducing vocational courses to enable students to acquire skills that will support their sustainability in the job market.

--IANS

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