‘School on Wheels’ gets rolling Wednesday

BENGALURU: The ‘School on Wheels’ initiative by Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) is set to take off on Wednesday, with 10 buses visiting each of the eight BBMP zones. Assistant Commissioner for Education Umesha BS told TNIE that the initiative was taken up after Classes 1 to 5 opened. The aim of the project is to mainstream children involved in beggary, and kids of migrant workers working predominantly in the construction industry, who had dropped out of school.

The routes for the upcycled buses, that look like Anganwadis inside, were decided before the second wave of the pandemic. Old buses were procured at Rs 4 lakh each from BMTC, and spruced up to resemble schools inside. Clusters for implementing the project include Doddagollarahatti, Hosakerehalli and Kolageri, Umesha said. 

The project was to be implemented in February this year, however, plans were put on hold due to the second Covid-19 wave, and BBMP had to wait for the government to reopen primary schools. While an NGO had approached BBMP to take over the pedagogical aspect, Umesha said that at the outset, BBMP schoolteachers will be deployed. Implementation also depends on the BBMP’s survey of the academic status of children under 18.