Eklavya Model Residential Schools (EMRSs) have been told by the central government to invite MPs and MLAs for important functions on the basis that their presence would “enhance the importance of these occasions.”
EMRSs are residential schools run by the central government for children from Scheduled Tribes in remote regions. These schools were established by the Union Ministry of Tribal Affairs and offer tuition-free education from Class 6 to Class 12. As of the end of 2024, the Ministry had approved 38 EMRSs in Meghalaya, though few have actually been completed.
According to a The Wire, quoting a report today in The Telegraph, the National Education Society for Tribal Students (NESTS), an organisation under the Ministry set up to oversee EMRSs, sent a circular in this regard to its schools.
MLAs and MPs should be invited to academic, cultural and national events, such as the schools’ annual day celebrations, Independence Day, Republic Day, sports meets and cultural occasions.
“The participation of senior public representatives and local dignitaries”, such as MPs, MLAs, civil servants, “significantly enhances the importance of these occasions. Their presence serves as a source of motivation and inspiration for students and strengthens the institutional connection between EMRSs, local administration and the community.”
Accordingly, all EMRSs were advised to extend invitations to the highest local dignitaries, the circular added.
However, The Wire and The Telegraph said that major policy documents of the government on school functioning and curriculum including National Curriculum Framework on School Education (NCFSE), prepared by the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) based on the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 do not endorse the invitation of legislators to such programmes, instead placing emphasis on the invitation of parents and locals.
The Telegraph also quoted an unnamed educationist and former principal of a school in Delhi, who commented that inviting MPs and MLAs is often counterproductive and causes schools plenty of difficulties as they are often late or cancel the engagements altogether.
