Ensure bus staff are empathetic to students: Suresh Kumar

BENGALURU: Minister for Primary and Secondary Education S Suresh Kumar wrote to Transport Minister Laxman Savadi on Monday, requesting him to direct transport officials to ensure that students with valid documents are not inconvenienced while going to schools and colleges.

The letter comes after Kumar visited schools in Madhugiri and Pavagada in Tumakuru district on January 8. During the visit, he saw at Pinaganahalli in Madhiguri district, that a bus did not stop for students who had bus passes. He said in the letter that he confronted the bus staff. He said that it was a common complaint that even though students possess valid passes, drivers and conductors ignore students and drive on. 

Kumar also sought Savadi’s intervention to ensure that ground level staff - drivers and conductors - are more empathetic to students. The state government’s initiatives for the welfare of students is countered by such acts. This not only brings a bad name to the government, but also demoralises students, the future of the country, Kumar said in the letter.

Although department officials have said that there is no pressure on students to attend offline classes, efforts are being made to ensure that the resumption of classes encourages more students to be confident about the system in place and go to schools. The Vidyagama programe in state board schools saw a 21.14% attendance on Monday, while students of Class 10 were 42.30% in attendance. Meanwhile, attendance of II PUC students was at 56%, nearly 10 days after the government reopened schools.
Meanwhile, the deadline for pre-university admissions has been extended to January 22.