Rohit Nitwal and other alumni of Eklavya Model Residential Schools highlight the impact of India's tribal education programme, with graduates pursuing careers in data science, medicine, sports and the armed forces.
Rohit Nitwal enrolled at EMRS Kalsi in Uttarakhand in 2014 as a Class 6 student. He is now set to join Barclays UK’s Decision Intelligence team in London after completing a degree in Data Science and Artificial Intelligence at IIT Roorkee.
Nitwal credited the school’s structured routine and activities for building discipline and self-reliance. “The real foundation of where I am today was built at EMRS,” he said.
Similar outcomes appear in other states. Vishal Dharmraj Thakare from Maharashtra cleared NEET and is completing his MBBS in Mumbai. Tulsa Pujhari from Odisha earned an MSc from IIT Gandhinagar and an MBA from IIT Kharagpur. Nima Doma Bhutia became the first woman basketball player from Northeast India to represent the senior national team. Simran Mehta from Himachal Pradesh now serves as a Captain in the Armed Forces Medical Services.
Ranjana Chopra, secretary in the Ministry of Tribal Affairs, said the schools aim to provide opportunities comparable to the best institutions. Pratima S. Verma, commissioner of NESTS, noted that students are excelling across multiple fields.