●  EMRS was established in 1997–1998 with the goal of providing ST children living in remote areas with a high-quality education so they can access the best educational opportunities and become on par with the general population.

●  Under Article 275(1) of the Indian Constitution, grants are used to establish EMRS in the States and Union Territories.

●  The Ministry of Tribal Affairs has established the National Education Society for Tribal Students (NESTS), an independent organization, to create and oversee EMRS throughout the nation.

●  Government Objective: Every block with more than 50% ST population and at least 20,000 tribal people will have an EMRS by 2022, according to the Budget 2018–19.

NOTE: The Indian government provides grants-in-aid for the construction of infrastructure in tribal areas as stipulated in Article 275(I) of the Indian Constitution. Roads, bridges, dams, schools, community centers, cultural complexes, rural electrification, etc. are all constructed under this program.

Features of EMRS:

●  For students in Classes VI through XII, EMRS are coeducational residential schools.

●  Eklavya schools will offer instruction in sports and skill development on par with Navodaya Vidyalayas, along with unique facilities for conserving regional art and culture.

●  Every school can accommodate 480 pupils, with an equal number of seats designated for males and females.

●  Up to 10% of the available seats in these schools may be filled by non-ST students.

●  These schools follow the CBSE curriculum and offer free education.

Santhali Language

●  A tribal language of India, Santhali is a member of the Austro-Asian language family’s Santhali sub-family.

●  The languages of Mundari and Ho are closely related to this one. The script used for this tribal language is Devanagari.

●  Santali Language Distribution:

○        Speaking Santhali is the primary language of over six to seven million people in the nation and is spoken in India’s neighboring nations of Bangladesh, Bhutan, and Nepal.

○        It is spoken mainly in Assam, Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Odisha, and Tripura are the states in India where people speak this Austro-Asian language.