Opening
The National Education Society for Tribal Students (NESTS), under the Ministry of Tribal Affairs, Government of India, has issued the information bulletin for the EMRS Staff Selection Exam (ESSE)-2025. The examination relates to teaching and non-teaching posts in Eklavya Model Residential Schools across India. The notification covers 7,267 tentative vacancies.
Post Details
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Organization | National Education Society for Tribal Students (NESTS) |
| Examination | EMRS Staff Selection Exam (ESSE)-2025 |
| Posts | Principal, PGT, TGT, Female Staff Nurse, Hostel Warden, Accountant, Junior Secretariat Assistant and Lab Attendant |
| Total Vacancies | 7,267 |
| Application Mode | Online |
| Eligibility Cut-off Date | 23/10/2025 |
| Official Website | https://nests.tribal.gov.in |
Important Dates
| Event | Date |
|---|---|
| Information Bulletin Date | 19/09/2025 |
| Last Date for Online Application | 23/10/2025 up to 23:50 hours |
| Examination City and Admit Card | To be notified on the NESTS website |
| Tier-I and Tier-II Examination | To be notified on the NESTS website |
Application Fee
| Post Category | Female / SC / ST / PwBD Candidates | Other Candidates |
|---|---|---|
| Principal | ₹500 processing fee | ₹2,500 total, including ₹2,000 application fee and ₹500 processing fee |
| PGT and TGT | ₹500 processing fee | ₹2,000 total, including ₹1,500 application fee and ₹500 processing fee |
| Non-Teaching Staff | ₹500 processing fee | ₹1,500 total, including ₹1,000 application fee and ₹500 processing fee |
The application fee is non-refundable. Payment must be made online through debit card, credit card, net banking or UPI. Applicable processing charges and GST are payable by the candidate. No application fee is charged from Female, SC, ST and PwBD candidates, but the applicable processing fee is mandatory.
Age Limit
The eligibility cut-off date for age and educational qualifications is 23/10/2025. The post-wise upper age limits are as follows:
| Post | Upper Age Limit |
|---|---|
| Principal | 50 years; up to 55 years for eligible EMRS employees |
| PGT | 40 years; up to 55 years for eligible EMRS employees |
| TGT and equivalent teaching posts | 35 years; up to 55 years for eligible EMRS employees |
| Female Staff Nurse | 35 years; up to 55 years for eligible EMRS employees |
| Hostel Warden | 35 years; up to 55 years for eligible EMRS employees |
| Accountant | 30 years; up to 55 years for eligible EMRS employees |
| Junior Secretariat Assistant | 30 years; up to 55 years for eligible EMRS employees |
| Lab Attendant | 30 years; up to 55 years for eligible EMRS employees |
Age relaxation is available as per Government of India rules. SC/ST candidates receive 5 years, OBC-NCL candidates 3 years, women applying for PGT/TGT posts 10 years, and PwBD candidates receive 10 years for General, 13 years for OBC and 15 years for SC/ST categories. Certain Central Government employees, ex-servicemen and EMRS staff may receive additional relaxation, subject to the conditions in the notification. The maximum age after applicable concessions is generally limited to 55 years.
Vacancy Details
| Post | Vacancies |
|---|---|
| Principal | 225 |
| Post Graduate Teachers (PGTs) | 1,460 |
| Trained Graduate Teachers (TGTs) | 3,962 |
| Female Staff Nurse | 550 |
| Hostel Warden | 635 |
| Accountant | 61 |
| Junior Secretariat Assistant (JSA) | 228 |
| Lab Attendant | 146 |
| Total | 7,267 |
PGT Subject-wise Vacancies
| Subject | Vacancies |
|---|---|
| English | 112 |
| Hindi | 81 |
| Mathematics | 134 |
| Chemistry | 169 |
| Physics | 198 |
| Biology | 99 |
| History | 140 |
| Geography | 98 |
| Commerce | 120 |
| Economics | 155 |
| Computer Science | 154 |
| Total | 1,460 |
TGT Vacancies
The TGT vacancies include Hindi, English, Mathematics, Social Studies, Science, Computer Science, regional languages, Music, Art, Physical Education and Librarian posts. The main TGT category has 2,550 vacancies, regional-language TGT posts have 223 vacancies, and miscellaneous teaching posts have 1,189 vacancies.
Non-Teaching Vacancies
| Post | Vacancies |
|---|---|
| Hostel Warden (Male) | 346 |
| Hostel Warden (Female) | 289 |
| Female Staff Nurse | 550 |
| Accountant | 61 |
| Junior Secretariat Assistant | 228 |
| Lab Attendant | 146 |
| Total | 1,620 |
Eligibility and Qualification
Principal
- Master’s degree from a recognised institution with at least 50% marks.
- B.Ed. with at least 50% marks from an NCTE-recognised institution, or an eligible integrated teacher education qualification.
- Relevant experience as Principal, Vice-Principal, Assistant Education Officer or PGT in the prescribed pay levels and service periods.
- Knowledge of English, Hindi and regional languages and computer applications is desirable.
Post Graduate Teacher (PGT)
- Integrated postgraduate course from an NCTE-recognised institution with at least 50% marks, including the B.Ed. component, or a Master’s degree in the concerned subject with at least 50% marks.
- B.Ed., three-year integrated B.Ed.-M.Ed. or four-year integrated degree including the B.Ed. component, as applicable.
- Subject-specific Master’s qualifications are required for English, Hindi, Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics, Economics, Biology, History, Geography and Commerce.
- For PGT Computer Science, M.Sc. Computer Science/IT, MCA, M.E. or M.Tech. Computer Science/IT with at least 50% marks is required.
Trained Graduate Teacher (TGT)
- Bachelor’s or Honours degree in the concerned subject with at least 50% marks, or eligible postgraduate qualification as prescribed.
- B.Ed. or an eligible integrated teacher education qualification from an NCTE-recognised institution.
- Qualification in CTET Paper-II conducted by the Government of India is essential for applicable TGT posts.
- Subject combinations are prescribed separately for Hindi, English, Mathematics, Science, Social Studies, Computer Science and regional languages.
- For TGT Computer Science, candidates may hold BCA, graduation in Computer Science/IT or B.E./B.Tech. in Computer Science/Information Technology with the required marks.
Art, Music, Physical Education Teacher and Librarian
- Art Teacher: Bachelor’s degree in Drawing and Painting, Sculpture, Graphic Art, Fine Arts or Visual Art with the prescribed subject background.
- Music Teacher: Bachelor’s degree in Music or Performing Arts with at least 50% marks and Music studied as the main subject.
- Physical Education Teacher: Four-year integrated B.P.Ed., B.P.Ed. or an eligible Bachelor’s degree with Physical Education and sports participation as prescribed.
- Librarian: Bachelor’s degree in Library Science, Library and Information Science or an integrated Master’s degree in Library and Information Science with at least 50% marks.
Female Staff Nurse
- B.Sc. Nursing, B.Sc. Honours Nursing, regular B.Sc. Nursing or Post Basic B.Sc. Nursing from a recognised institution.
- Registration as a Nurse or Nurse Mid-wife with a State Nursing Council.
- Two and a half years of experience in a minimum 50-bed hospital after acquiring the required nursing qualification.
Hostel Warden
- Four-year integrated graduation degree from a Regional College of Education of NCERT or another NCTE-recognised institution in the concerned subject, or a Bachelor’s degree from a recognised university or institute.
Accountant
- Bachelor’s degree in Commerce from a recognised university or institute.
- Bachelor of Business Administration is not accepted for this post.
Junior Secretariat Assistant
- Senior Secondary/Class XII certificate from a recognised board.
- Minimum typing speed of 35 words per minute in English or 30 words per minute in Hindi.
Lab Attendant
- Class 10 pass with a certificate or diploma in laboratory technique from a recognised board or institute, or
- Class 12 pass with Science stream from a recognised board or institute.
Selection Process
- Tier-I preliminary qualifying examination in OMR-based objective mode.
- Tier-II subject knowledge examination consisting of objective and descriptive questions.
- Interview/personal interaction for the post of Principal.
- Computer-based typing test for Junior Secretariat Assistant.
- Document verification and eligibility scrutiny.
- Final merit and appointment according to the post-specific rules.
For Principal, Tier-II carries 80% weightage and the interview carries 20% weightage. For other posts, the merit list is generally prepared on the basis of Tier-II performance, subject to document verification. The JSA typing test is qualifying in nature.
Exam Pattern
Tier-I Pattern
The Tier-I examination is conducted in MCQ, OMR-based pen-and-paper mode. The paper generally carries 100 questions for 100 marks and has a duration of 2 hours and 30 minutes, without separate time limits for individual sections.
| Post Group | Main Sections |
|---|---|
| Principal | Reasoning and Numerical Ability, General Awareness, Academics and Residential Aspects, Administration and Finance, Language Competency |
| PGT/TGT | General Awareness, Reasoning Ability, ICT, Teaching Aptitude, Domain Knowledge, Language Competency |
| Hostel Warden/Female Staff Nurse | General Awareness, Reasoning Ability, ICT, Quantitative Aptitude, Language Competency |
| Accountant | General Awareness, Reasoning Ability, ICT, Quantitative Aptitude, Language Competency |
| JSA/Lab Attendant | Reasoning Ability, Quantitative Aptitude, General Awareness, Basic Computer Operation, General English and General Hindi |
For applicable teaching and nursing posts, the language section includes General English, General Hindi and one selected regional language. The language competency section is qualifying in nature for the posts where specified.
Tier-II Pattern
| Question Type | Questions | Marks |
|---|---|---|
| Objective | 40 | 40 |
| Descriptive | 15 | 60 |
| Total | 55 | 100 |
Tier-II is of 3 hours duration. It tests academic, residential, administration and finance knowledge for Principal and subject-specific knowledge for teaching and other notified posts.
JSA Tier-III Typing Test
The JSA typing test is conducted on a personal computer for 50 marks, with 20 marks as the qualifying threshold. Candidates are shortlisted for the typing test in a ratio of 1:3 based on Tier-II performance.
Marking Scheme
- One mark is awarded for every correct answer.
- One-third mark is deducted for every incorrect answer.
- No marks are awarded for unanswered questions.
- Marking more than one option for a question is treated as an incorrect response.
Salary / Pay Scale
| Post | Pay Level and Scale |
|---|---|
| Principal | Level 12: ₹78,800–2,09,200 |
| PGT | Level 8: ₹47,600–1,51,100 |
| TGT and Librarian | Level 7: ₹44,900–1,42,400 |
| Art/Music/Physical Education Teacher | Level 6: ₹35,400–1,12,400 |
| Accountant | Level 6: ₹35,400–1,12,400 |
| Female Staff Nurse | Level 5: ₹29,200–92,300 |
| Hostel Warden | Level 5: ₹29,200–92,300 |
| JSA | Level 2: ₹19,900–63,200 |
| Lab Attendant | Level 1: ₹18,000–56,900 |
All EMRS staff are eligible for special pay equivalent to 10% of basic pay for residential duties. Selected candidates may be posted anywhere in India and may be required to stay on campus. Rent-free accommodation may be provided as available.
Result and Candidate Updates
NESTS will publish examination-related updates, scanned OMR response sheets, provisional answer keys, shortlisted-candidate lists, Tier-II results, skill-test schedules, interview schedules and final results on its official website or through the candidate application login. The final result will be prepared using the final answer key. For Principal, the final merit will consider Tier-II and interview performance in the ratio of 80:20.
Important Instructions
- Only Indian citizens are eligible to apply.
- Applications are accepted through online mode only.
- Candidates may apply for more than one eligible post, but the prescribed fee is payable separately for each post.
- Examination cities are allotted by NESTS and may be anywhere in India; requests for changing the allotted centre are not accepted.
- Candidates must preserve the application confirmation page and login credentials.
- At the examination centre, candidates must carry the printed admit card, one passport-size photograph and a valid original photo identity document.
- Mobile phones, calculators, electronic devices, bags, books, loose papers, food items and other prohibited articles are not allowed inside the examination hall.
- Candidates selected for appointment are initially placed on probation for two years.
- Use of unfair means may result in disqualification, cancellation of result and further legal action.