Free transport facility to up govt school enrolment in Punjab

Tribune News Service

Faridkot, January 12

In its endeavour to increase the enrolment in government schools, the School Education Department has started working towards providing free transport facility to students living in areas without schools.

The department on Thursday asked all district education officers (DEO) to identify the students who do not have the availability of a government primary school within one km radius, a middle school within 3 km radius and a senior secondary school within 5 km radius of their homes.

The DEOs have been asked to send the details of such students to the department by the end of this week.

In a letter issued to all school heads on Thursday, it has been conveyed that the project approval board of the department has to prepare its annual work plan and budget 2022-23 of Samagra Shiksha for the state and submit it to the Union Government.

According to sources in the department, under the Right to Education Act, the state and the Union Government will jointly bear the cost incurred on transporting these students to their schools from their homes at a cost of Rs 6,000 each for the entire year.

The department has realised that the lack of public transport was one of the main reasons for students dropping out and low enrolment in government schools as the parents of a large number of students are daily earners/labourers who are away for work much of the time and cannot drop or pick up their children daily.

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