Free transportation for school pupils likely after winter break
Nitish Sharma
Ambala, December 27
The education department is expected to roll out a free transportation service for students, who cover a distance of one kilometres or above to reach their schools, after the winter vacations — a move aimed at checking school dropout rate.
As a pilot project, the scheme — Vidyarthi Parivahan Surakshya Yojana — will be introduced in one block of each district. After a review, a department official said, the scheme will be expanded to other remaining blocks.
Pilot project
- As a pilot project, the scheme — Vidyarthi Parivahan Surakshya Yojana — will be introduced in one block of each district
- The service will be provided to eligible students from Class I to XII of state-run schools
- Under the scheme, students will have to opt between free bicycle and free transportation schemes from the next academic session (2024-25)
Ambala Cantonment block in the district was selected for the service that will be provided to eligible students from Class I to XII of state-run schools.
“Under the scheme, Ambala-II block (Ambala cantonment) in the district has been selected for the pilot project. Haryana will be the first state to implement such a scheme. The policy aims to provide hassle-free transportation to students and decrease school dropout rate,” District Elementary Education Officer Sudhir Kalra said.
“Earlier, there was a policy to provide free transportation to girl students of classes IX to XII, but under the new policy the facility is being extended to boys and girls from Class I onwards.”
Under the scheme, the students will have to opt between free bicycle and free transportation schemes from the next academic session (2024-25).
“The department has approved a policy for free transportation for students. The school management committees (SMCs) will make arrangements for the transportation for which the department will provide an annual budget to all the districts,” the official said.
“The department has asked all the District Education Officers and the District Elementary Education Officers to identify the students who cover one kilometer or above to reach their respective schools, prepare their route plans and send the details by December 31 so that the students can get the facility after the winter vacations (from January 1 to 15).”
In case of 20 or more than 20 students on any route, the priority will be given to buses of Haryana Roadways, and in case of non-availability of buses, the SMCs will hire small vehicles after getting quotations, the official said.
