TN goes the extra mile to ensure kids from remote areas attend school daily
CHENNAI: Keen to ensure that distance, difficult terrain or adverse climate would not hinder the education of children in both remote and urban deprived habitations, the School Education Department has arranged transportation facilities to take them to school and back.
According to sources, the department has allocated around Rs 14 crore for the 2023-24 academic year for this purpose. The initiative would be available for students in 30 districts.
Officials said this would benefit as many as 25,905 primary school students from 1,494 habitats in 30 districts. Similarly, 1,802 students of classes 9 to 12 from 198 habitations in 14 districts would also benefit from this.
Of the Rs 13.97 crore allocated for the initiative, the highest share of more than Rs 3 crore has been earmarked for The Nilgiris district. In this sparsely populated hill district, more than 5,100 students will be able to attend classes due to this.
The second highest allocation is for Tiruvannamalai district, which has got Rs 1.86 crore for catering to more than 3,100 students. Erode district has been given Rs 1.85 crore for aiding around 3,000 children studying in classes 1 to 8, said officials.
The other districts that have been identified for fund allocation include Tiruvallur, Coimbatore, Dindigul, Krishnagiri, Salem, Tenkasi, and Tirupattur.
For classes 9 to 12, the department has awarded Rs 29 lakh to aid 489 students in The Nilgiris, Rs 26 lakh for Erode district for 434 students, and Rs 14 lakh for 247 students in Krishnagiri district.
Speaking to DT Next, a government school teacher in Salem said, “Children often skip school due to connectivity issues like lack of proper bus service and climate-related concerns. Ensuring that children attended classes despite these issues by providing them with a proper transit service will help achieve 75 per cent attendance and also prevent dropouts.”
The highest share of Rs 3 crore has been earmarked for The Nilgiris district