In the absence of proper bus services, reaching the Government Higher Secondary School at Kottamalam on time remains an arduous task for 19 students from six remote habitations. Not only does this affect their studies, but admission rates in the school have been steadily dropping over the years.
The school, upgraded to a higher secondary school in 2021, is located on the Tamil Nadu – Karnataka border and falls under Thingalur panchayat of Talavadi block. Currently, 133 students are enrolled from classes 6 to 12, with a teaching staff of eight teachers. Nineteen students, studying in classes 9 to 12, commute from Germalam check post (21 km away from the school), Kadupasuvan Malam (8 km), Sikkanandhi (6 km), and Sujilkarai (5 km), and rely on the sole Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation (TNSTC) bus for their daily transportation to and from school.
School starts at 9:15 a.m. and ends at 4:10 p.m. However, due to the unavailability of a bus during school hours, students arrive at 10:30 a.m. and leave at 3:30 p.m. to catch the bus. As a result, they are late by one-and-a-half hours and leave 45 minutes early. “Students learn less than four hours a day and they face problems during examinations,” said a parent at Sujilkarai. The first bus to Kottamalam departs from the Germalam check post at 9 a.m., and the last bus from the school to the check post is at 3:30 p.m. Commuting through the forest area is challenging, and students have no alternative but to rely on the bus, said another parent from the check post area.
The school management had on several occasions taken the issue up with the branch manager of TNSTC, Sathyamangalam, stating that students were missing out on learning time. As the problem persists, students opt for other schools in Sathyamangalam and Kadambur, where they can reside in hostels. They have observed a decrease in admissions and have requested the Transport Department to arrange a bus that aligns with school timings.
S.C. Natraj, Director, Service Unit for Development Activities in Rural (SUDAR), an NGO, wanted the bus timings to be moved 30 minutes earlier. S. Mohan Kumar, State Committee Member, Communist Party of India, wanted a vehicle to be operated under the transport and escort services scheme so that learning is not affected. The issue was taken up with the District Collector Raja Gopal Sunkara recently.
When contacted, T. Sampath, Chief Educational Officer, Erode district, said the issue is being discussed with the transport department and assured that necessary arrangements would be made soon.
