KRISHNAGIRI: Over 120 students from tribal areas of Kelamangalam block are affected by the lack of transportation options to reach their school and have urged the district administration to make such arrangements to prevent school dropouts.
M Bangari, a Class 12 girl from Mandhakollai in Bettamugilalam, regularly travels to the government higher secondary school in Unichetti village, located 15 km away from her village.
She said, "We need to catch the TNSTC bus at 7.30 am from a bus stop which is a 1.5 km walk away from my village, to reach school on time. The bus is also overcrowded in the morning as Class 11 and 12 students from the vicinity of Bettamugilalam regularly travel to the school. A few other students have to walk for over 3 km to catch a bus near Kamagiri. The district administration should arrange a special bus service for us in the morning and evening."
Unichetti school headmaster M Murugan told TNIE, "Last academic year, we had arranged transportation for 57 students, and the school education department had allotted Rs 600 per student for a month. However, it is not feasible for the vehicle to pick and drop students living beyond a 4-km radius. The vehicle had been operating for three months. In this academic year, over 100 students come from Bettamugilalam, and about 15 students come from Tholluvabetta, Gullatti and other nearby areas."
"We will convene a meeting with SMC and PTA this week and urge Collector C Dinesh Kumar to arrange a special bus trip between Bettamugilalam and Unichetti for school students apart from regular timings," he added.
Another school education department source said, "Students from Tholuvabetta and Gullatti used to travel till Melur with their parents and from Melur, the vehicle arranged till Unichetti used to take them to school in the last academic year for three months. Steps are being taken to continue the service in the current academic year."
The collector told TNIE that a private company has already sponsored a bus for government school students in the Thalli block. Students will also be supported to prevent dropouts, he added.