In a bid to provide better opportunity to the Backward Class students and impart quality education, the Government has proposed establishment of 10 new Eklavya Model Residential Schools (EMRS) in the State with a cost of Rs 150 crore.
The department of Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe Development has proposed to establish the EMRS at Nilgiri, Kuchinda, Champua, Baipariguda, Gunupur, Ummerkote, G Udayagiri, Jharsuguda or Lakshanpur, Tileibeni and Paralakhemundi. These places, where the Scheduled Tribe (ST) concentration is high, are in uncovered Scheduled Areas and literacy rate among the ST is very low.
Official sources said the Centre has identified 186 Educationally Backward Blocks (EBBs) in the State.
Each of the schools will have a capacity of 480, wherein the students strength for classes VI to X will be 60 each and for classes XI and XII, the strength will be 45 each for science and commerce streams.
Students will be enrolled at Standard VI and Standard XI levels on the basis of merit. The project targets to cover 4,800 students belonging to the Backward Classes.
The State Government has set up an autonomous society named Odisha Model Tribal Education Society (OMTES) for managing the 13 Eklavya Model Residential Schools, 19 Education Complex for PVTG girls and also the project on setting up and management of three residential schools for Backward Class students in Public Private Partnership Mode.