As of June 2025, 479 Eklavya Model Residential Schools (EMRS) are operational across the country. In January 2023, the Department of Expenditure sanctioned 38,480 teaching and non-teaching posts for these schools, allocating 52 posts per EMRS. Recruitment is being conducted in phases, aligning with school construction and operationalization. The first phase, managed by the National Education Society for Tribal Students (NESTS), involved direct recruitment for 10,391 posts through the EMRS Staff Selection Exam (ESSE) 2023. Postings of selected candidates occurred during the 2024-25 academic year, with 9,075 posting orders issued to date, including 7,050 for teaching positions. State EMRS Societies assess post requirements based on actual vacancies and employ guest faculty on a temporary basis to maintain academic continuity. Orientation programs and capacity-building trainings are regularly conducted for EMRS teachers and principals. The Ministry of Tribal Affairs, through NESTS, is implementing initiatives in collaboration with government bodies to provide tribal students with digital and skill-based education while maintaining the traditional curriculum. These initiatives include the establishment of smart classrooms in partnership with ERNET (Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology), the Amazon Future Engineer (AFE) program implemented by Learning Links Foundation (LLF) in 430 EMRSs, the provision of computer labs with internet access, free digital coaching for IIT-JEE and NEET competitive exams, and a dedicated DTH TV channel (EKLAVYA) developed by CIET-NCERT for Classes 9-12, offering curriculum-based learning and competitive exam content.
Key Entities Referenced
Ministry of Tribal Affairs: The Indian government ministry responsible for the welfare and development of tribal communities.
Smt. P. T. Usha: Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha who raised the unstarred question.
Shri Durgadas Uikey: Union Minister of State for Tribal Affairs who provided the written reply in Rajya Sabha.
Eklavya Model Residential Schools (EMRS): A type of school in India for tribal students.
Rajya Sabha: The upper house of the Parliament of India, where the question was answered.
National Education Society for Tribal Students (NESTS): Autonomous organization under the Ministry of Tribal Affairs, responsible for managing EMRSs.
EMRS Staff Selection Exam (ESSE) 2023: The examination conducted for direct recruitment of staff for Eklavya Model Residential Schools.
Amazon Future Engineer (AFE): A program aimed at enhancing access to computer science education.
Ministry of Tribal Affairs
FACULTY IN EMRS
Posted On: 23 JUL 2025 4:18PM by PIB Delhi
Replying to an un-starred question of Smt. P. T. Usha, the Union Minister of State for Tribal Affairs Shri
Durgadas Uikey stated in a written reply in Rajya Sabha that 479 Eklavya Model Residential Schools (EMRS)
are functional as of June, 2025.Department of Expenditure, Government of India, in Jan, 2023 has sanctioned
a total of 38,480 teaching and non-teaching posts for Eklavya Model Residential Schools (EMRSs) across the
country. As per the sanction, 52 teaching and non-teaching posts have been allocated for each EMRS. The
recruitment is to be undertaken in a phased manner, aligned with the progress of school construction and their
operationalization. Accordingly, the first phase of recruitment was undertaken by the National Education
Society for Tribal Students (NESTS), an autonomous organization under the Ministry of Tribal Affairs,
responsible for planning, constructing, establishing, endowing, and administering EMRSs. Under the first
phase, direct recruitment for 10,391 posts was conducted through the EMRS Staff Selection Exam (ESSE)-
2023. The selected candidates have been posted during the academic year 2024–25. So far, a total of 9,075
posting orders, including 7,050 for teaching positions, have been issued.
The requirement of posts is assessed by the respective State EMRS Societies based on actual vacancies. To
ensure continuity in academic activities, many State Societies have engaged guest faculty on a temporary
basis as an interim measure. Additionally, to enhance the professional competencies of the EMRS faculty.
orientation programmes and capacity-building trainings are being conducted for teachers and principals on
regular basis.
The Ministry through NESTS is implementing several initiatives in collaboration with other government
bodies to provide tribal students with access to digital and skill-based education while maintaining the
traditional curriculum. These initiatives include:
Smart classrooms equipped with digital boards are being established in partnership with ERNET, Ministry of
Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), to enhance digital learning in tribal schools.
The Amazon Future Engineer (AFE) program is a comprehensive initiative aimed at enhancing access to
computer science education for undeserved and underrepresented communities. Learning Links Foundation
(LLF) has implemented the AFE program in 430 EMRSs to provide hands-on computer science education
through interactive modules like the Hour of Code and Code-a-thon, students gain essential skills in
programming and problem solving, which are crucial for success in today’s digital world.
Computer labs with internet access.
To enhance their preparedness and improve their prospects of securing admission to premier engineering and
medical institutions across the country, Initiatives have been introduced to offer free, high-quality digital
coaching for competitive exams such as IIT-JEE and NEET by providing online classes and academic support
to tribal students. A dedicated DTH TV channel – EKLAVYA has been developed by CIET-NCERT,
exclusively for EMRS students, which provides curriculum-based learning and competitive exam content for
th th
Classes 9 to 12 , ensuring wider accessibility to uninterrupted quality educational resources even in remote
locations.
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RN(Release ID: 2147323)