The Union Minister of Tribal Affairs Shri Jual Oram today laid a statement on the Table of the House that the Ministry of Tribal Affairs is implementing the scheme of Eklavya Model Residential School (EMRS) for providing quality education to tribal students in their own environment preserving local art and culture. EMRS are established in tribal dominated blocks having more than 50% ST population and at least 20,000 tribal persons, as per Census 2011. As on date, 728 EMRSs have been approved out of which 508 are functional across the country having 156593 students enrolled during the Academic Session 2025-26. In the State of Telangana 23 EMRSs have been sanctioned and all of them are functional with10199 students enrolled during the Academic Session 2025-26.

Various steps have been undertaken to enhance the quality of education and sports facilities in EMRSs across the country such as well-equipped classrooms with modern teaching aids, bridge courses, remedial classes science and computer laboratories, libraries with diverse learning resources, playgrounds and sports equipment, facilities for extracurricular activities like music, art, and sports, smart classrooms for digital education, computer labs with internet access, skill development and vocational training programs on apparel, Automotive, AR/VR, AI, Beauty & Wellness, Agriculture, Electronics, and retail to enhance employability, etc.

The preservation and promotion of tribal culture, language and traditional knowledge are integral to the objective of Eklavya Model Residential School (EMRS) Scheme. To achieve this, Tribal Corners have been established in EMRSs to showcase and preserve the culture, traditions, art, crafts and heritage of tribal communities. Cultural Programs, Meets and workshops are organized to provide a platform for students to learn about, appreciate and celebrate the diverse tribal cultures and traditions of the country. Further, Regional Language Teachers are recruited in EMRSs enabling students to learn and preserve their regional languages.

The Status of schools sanctioned and operational under the EMRS scheme in the State of Telangana is given at Annexure.