EMRS started in the year 1997-98 to impart quality education to ST children in remote areas in order to enable them to avail of opportunities in high and professional educational courses and get employment in various sectors.
The schools focus not only on academic education but on the all-round development of the students.
At present, there are 384 functional schools spanned across the country established at par with Navodaya Vidyalaya with focus on special state-of-the-art facilities for preserving local art and culture besides providing training in sports and skill development.
They are administered by Ministry of Tribal Affairs.
The Tribal Affairs Ministry in May , 2021, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Microsoft to help Tribal schools such as Eklavya Model Residential Schools (EMRS) and Ashram Schools have digital transformation. The MoU was signed digitally in an online event ‘Empowering Youth for Success’.
Note:National Education Society for Tribal Students (NESTS), is an autonomous Society has been set up under the Ministry of Tribal Affairs to establish, endow, maintain, control, and manage the schools and to do all acts and things necessary for or conducive to the promotion of such schools. The NESTS shall function through an Executive Committee under the Chairmanship of Secretary, Tribal Affairs.
Other Initiatives Related to Scheduled Tribes:
TRIFED – is under the Multi-State Cooperative Societies Act, 1984 and the main purpose of TRIFED is to bring socio-economic development to the tribal people of India. The Ministry of Tribal Affairs administers the Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation of India (TRIFED).
