Tribal students should lead in academics, preserve culture: Union Minister Jual Oram

Amaravati, Dec 3 (PTI) Union Minister Jual Oram on Wednesday said tribal students must excel academically while also preserving and learning their rich cultural traditions.

Inaugurating Udbhav-2025 at a university in Guntur district, Jual Oram underscored the need to strengthen Eklavya Model Residential Schools (EMRS) to ensure holistic development, multilingual learning and national-level opportunities for tribal students.

"Tribal students must excel not only in academics but also preserve and learn their rich culture and traditions. EMRS students will excel in every field," the Union Tribal Affairs Minister said.

He said EMRS institutions would be developed on par with Navodaya Vidyalayas, Kendriya Vidyalayas and Sainik Schools.

Oram said the event reflects the country’s cultural diversity and encourages students to embrace their identity while striving for excellence across disciplines.

Andhra Pradesh Tribal Welfare Minister G Sandhya Rani described Udbhav-2025 as a transformative platform that nurtures talent and confidence, noting the participation of over 1,600 students from nearly 400 schools, including 110 from Andhra Pradesh.

She said the NDA government is committed to tribal development and is seeking additional schools, enhanced funding and better road connectivity for remote tribal communities in interior forest regions.

The three-day festival features competitions across multiple categories, spread across two theatres, three seminar halls, ten classrooms, an open-air theatre and a large auditorium.

Group events, storytelling sessions and creative writing contests are also part of the programme. PTI MS GDK SSK