About EMRS

• The Ministry of Tribal Affairs is implementing the Central Sector Scheme of Eklavya Model Residential School (EMRS) to provide quality middle and high-level education to Scheduled Tribe (ST) students in remote areas.
• Introduced in 1997-98, the schools are aimed to enable ST students to access the best opportunities in education and to bring them at par with the general population. 
• The schools focus not only on academic education but on the all-round development of the students. 
• Each school has a capacity of 480 students, catering to students from Class VI to XII. Non-ST students can be admitted in EMRSs up to 10% of the total seats.
• The National Education Society for Tribal Students (NESTS), an autonomous organization under the Ministry of Tribal Affairs, establishes, endows, maintains, controls and manages these schools.
• The government aims to establish EMRS in every block with more than 50% ST population and at least 20,000 tribal persons.
• EMRS are set up in States/UTs with grants under Article 275(1) of the Constitution of India. 
  • Article 275(1) guarantees grants-in-aid from the Consolidated Fund of India each year for promoting the welfare of Scheduled Tribes. 
  • Infrastructure development schemes like protected drinking water, road connectivity, electricity and housing are provided under this scheme.

Why in News?

• About four years after the Centre introduced a sub-quota of 5% for the Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTG) in admissions to Eklavya Model Residential Schools (EMRS) for tribal students across the country, government data show that schools are struggling to meet this quota. 
• Just 3.4% of all EMRS students belong to PVTG communities even as the number of PVTG students dropping out of EMRS has been rising for the last three years consecutively. 

https://www.thehindu.com/education/eklavya-schools-struggle-to-meet-5-pvtg-sub-quota-dropouts-on-the-rise-for-three-years/article69005120.ece