Tribal hamlets in Kalvarayan Hills to get micro vans for taking kids to school

WORKING towards addressing the challenges faced by children from tribal areas in accessing formal education, the Tribal Welfare Department is planning to launch a pilot initiative to provide micro vans to four schools on Kalvarayan Hills of Kallakurichi district.

- Subashini Vijayakumar

In tribal areas, children have to trek several kilometres through hills and forests to reach the schools due to the lack of transport facilities. This also leads to high dropout rates among the students, leaving them vulnerable to child labour.

The micro van initiative aims to provide much-needed transport to children studying in classes 1 to 5. According to Tribal Welfare Department officials, the facility will first be launched at schools in Maniyarpalayam, Ezhuthur, Kottaputhur and Innadu.