Srinagar, Mar 21: The Government of India (Go) has sanctioned six Eklavya Model Residential Schools for Jammu and Kashmir under its Central Sector Scheme to provide quality education to tribal children.
According to a Lok Sabha response, these schools are being established in areas with a significant Scheduled Tribe population to ensure educational opportunities within their communities.
The Ministry of Tribal Affairs said that EMRS schools aim to offer education on par with Navodaya Vidyalayas. The initiative, launched in 2018-19, seeks to establish 440 schools nationwide, focusing on blocks where more than 50% of the population belongs to the ST category and has at least 20,000 tribal residents.
In total, 728 EMRS schools are planned across the country, benefiting around 3.5 lakh students.
In Jammu and Kashmir, the approved EMRS schools are located in Anantnag, Bandipora, Kulgam, Poonch, and Rajouri districts. The report said that two schools have been completed, three are under construction, and one is in the pre-construction phase.
The schools are designed with modern facilities, including separate hostels for boys and girls, digital learning resources, science and computer labs, libraries, and vocational training programmes.
The funding for the EMRS initiative has been substantial, with Rs 11,46,916.08 lakh spent so far. For 2024-25, an estimated Rs 4,74,892 lakh has been allocated, while Rs 7,338.36 crore has been proposed for 2025-26 to further support infrastructure and academic programmes.
The ministry also assured that academic activities have already commenced in functional EMRS schools across India, with a focus on career guidance, coaching for competitive exams like JEE and NEET, and specialised programmes in space science under the JAYAKAR initiative.
