WEST BENGAL: Nupur Hansda’s nightmare commute to school involved a five-km trek in the sweltering heat while sporting a pair of torn sandals. The Class X student had to travel an hour by foot to Belpahari High School in the Jhargram district, despite all obstacles. At times, she considered quitting her studies. However, she was given excellent news one day by the school administration that she was qualified to get a bicycle under the state government’s Sabooj Sathi programme. Nupur once more began daydreaming about going to college.
“I now ride a bicycle the same distance. The dreadful hour-long walk may now be completed in 25 minutes.” Nupur, an adolescent from a tribal village, said with a smile, “The two-wheeler is a fantastic help to dream of higher studies.” The West Bengal government launched the Sabooj Sathi scheme in 2015 with the goal of increasing school attendance, encouraging students to pursue higher education, instilling a sense of confidence in girl students, and promoting environmentally-friendly transportation. As of today, more than 1 crore students in classes IX through XII have benefited from the programme.
The project was honoured with a prestigious World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) prize in 2020. The name Sabooj Sathi means “children’s companion” in Bengali. Sabooj, the term for “green,” also connotes “children” in that language. The scheme is Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s brainchild.
The programme, which has already served more than 1 crore students and has a total investment of more than Rs 3,000 crore, plans to serve 12 lakh students in the fiscal year 2022–2023.
According to a state government official, as a result of the programme, the dropout rate after Class X board exams—which primarily affected female students—was much lower. The Sabooj Sathi was a blessing for female students, many of whom left school following the Class X board exams. One of the major factors influencing the high school dropout rate is a lack of adequate public transportation. Instead of letting their girls travel an hour to school and back, parents chose to marry them off at a younger age. After completing their secondary education, about 40% of the girl students in the school used leave. It has decreased to 10% since the state government programme was launched in 2015, the official said.
The state’s Backward Classes Welfare Department, which promotes the social, economic, and cultural advancement of SC and OBC residents in the state, reports that the school dropout rate in Bengal villages has decreased by 20–25% over the past four years. The survey used to gauge the project’s social impact also revealed that Sabooj Sathi had reduced the number of girls getting married too young and improved dropout rates among Class IX students, particularly in rural areas.
According to the survey, 37% of the state’s villages’ pupils must travel at least five kilometres to get to school, and about 54% of villages in the state lack secondary and higher secondary schools. There are over 40,500 villages in West Bengal.
Students must cross dense forests to get to school in the backward Purulia, Bankura, West Midnapore and Jhargram regions of south Bengal, which are dotted with dense forests.
“Girls now feel more safe riding their bicycles home, said a teacher at a school in Shilda, Jhargram.
The same was reiterated by Saraswati Soren. It would have been a terrifying experience to be returning home along a poorly lit road. Now that I press the paddle of my bicycle, I feel safer,” she stated.