Vans to transport children in tribal regions to school in six districts of TN soon

Reports of children in tribal regions walking long and perilous forest trails to reach school are still not a rarity. In a bid to rectify this situation and ensure greater access to schools in these regions, the Tribal Welfare Department will soon start running 23 micro vans catering to 56 primary schools in six districts.

These vans will service tribal regions of Tiruchy, Dharmapuri, Salem, Kallakurichi, Erode, and the Nilgiris. The scheme, aimed at benefiting more than 2,000 children, has been initiated following the many challenges faced by students in going to school on a daily basis, such as no dependable transport and rough terrain.

"One of the problems we have noted in tribal regions is that students tend not to come back to school immediately after long weekends or term breaks. This issue continues despite all tribal schools having boarding facilities," officials said.

"Harsh weather conditions and safety issues along forest routes make the situation even worse. The same result in students progressively dropping out or staying away for long periods, which impacts their learning very badly."

The government order was recently released for the purchase of these micro vans, and `3.6 crore was sanctioned. A pilot project was undertaken last academic year, and four schools in Kalvarayan Hills of Kallakurichi district were covered by micro vans. The pilot scheme brought considerable improvement in attendance among students and thus the initiative was expanded, as per the government order.

"We have created clusters of schools located close to each other which can be reached using a single van. The plan has been so formulated that it reaches the maximum number of kids possible," said a government official.

Operations of the vans will start in the next two months. They will be operated using the assistance of NGOs in these regions, officials said.