The Eklavya school in Tuensang.
Morung Express News
Dimapur | December 22
Only three out of the 22 Eklavya Model Residential Schools (EMRS) in Nagaland are ‘functional’ while the 19 others have been categorised as ‘non functional.’
The three functional EMRS are located at Medziphema block of then undivided Dimapur district, Tizit block in Mon district, and Sangsangyu in Tuensang district, and were sanctioned in the year 1997-98, informed data provided by the Union Minister of State for Tribal Affairs Renuka Singh Saruta in a written response Saruta to an unstarred question in the Lok Sabha on December 19.
As per the Minister’s response, the Government had decided to set up one EMRS in every block with more than 50% ST population and at least 20,000 tribal persons, subject to availability of suitable land to be provided by the State Government. Accordingly, the Ministry has set the target of establishing 740 EMRSs in the tribal areas across the country, it said.
Notably, while the Minister’s response stated that the construction of EMRS “takes a certain time period for completion (around 18 months from the issue of formal sanction order) and academic sessions are commenced as soon as the school building is completed, in the case of Nagaland, two EMRS—one in Tseminyu block (under then undivided Kohima district) and one in Pfutsero under Phek district— were sanctioned in 2015-16 and are still ‘non functional.’
Similarly, six of other EMRS that sanctioned in 2018-19— one each in Chümoukedima block of undivided Dimapur district, Kiphire block of Kiphire district, Kohima block of Kohima district, Tuli block of Mokokchung district, Jalukie block of Peren district, Wokha block of Wokha district, are ‘non functional.’
Other non functional EMRSs include one in Mangkolemba block of Mokokchung district sanctioned in 2019-20; a batch of seven that were sanctioned in 2020-21 in Botsa block of Kohima district, Tamlu block of Longleng district, Ongpangkong (North) block of Mokokchung district, Tening block of Peren district, Noklak block and Noksen block of Tuensang district, and Suruhuto block of Zunheboto district; as well as three others that were sanctioned in 2021-22 in Alongkima and Tsurangkong blocks of Mokokchung district and Phomching block of Mon district respectively.
Along with this, the Minister’s response stated that “all states have been requested to make the sanctioned EMRSs operational from other government buildings with arrangements of teaching staff till the construction work of the EMRS is completed.”
In case of delays, if any, in establishment of EMRS, the Minister noted that it is “mainly due to delay in identification and allotment of suitable land for the construction of EMRS at sanctioned locations by the concerned State Government.”
Besides this, forest clearance issues are being noticed at several locations after formal sanction is issued by Ministry to the National Education Society for Tribal Students (NESTS).
“In certain cases, process of land transfer in the name of the State Society is also being delayed by respective state. In addition, some instances of hindrances and encroachment on allotted land also have been brought to notice by construction agencies assigned with task of construction delaying the process of construction and establishment of EMRSs,” the Minister added.
Meanwhile, the number of functional EMRSs given by the Minister in her response corroborated with the data in the Nagaland Department of Tribal Affairs’ Annual Administrative Report 2021-22.
The report stated that the EMRS Diphupar, EMRS Tizit, and EMRS Tuensang are functioning with a total enrolment of 238, 208, and 225 students respectively during 2021-22. All three schools have 16 teaching staff and 16 non-teaching staff each.
The EMRSs in the state are managed and run by the Nagaland EMRS Management Society, as per the report.
Additionally, the Department’s report also stated that a total of 19 additional EMRSs were sanctioned for the state. While it did not explain the reason for delays, etc., it stated that eight EMRSs that were sanctioned during 2015-16 and 2018-19 “are under construction by the Planning & Coordination Department, Nagaland.”
“The remaining 11 EMRS sanctioned during FY 2019-20 to 2021-22 shall be constructed by the Tribal Affairs Department, Nagaland,” it added.
