Karnataka: Non-allocation for bicycle scheme may affect student attendance, say experts

“We haven’t got any funds or allotments from the government this year to implement the bicycle scheme. We have requested the government to allocate funds but they are yet to be approved. This time around, we require at least Rs 220 crore for the bicycle scheme owing to the inflation in comparison to the previous allotment of Rs 170-180 crore. The government is actually contemplating whether to spend so much on the scheme considering other expenditures,” a senior official in the education department said on the condition of anonymity.

Notably, the bicycle scheme was not mentioned in the 2022-23 budget presented by Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai in March and the 2021-22 budget of Yediyurappa. It was, however, expected to be continued since the 2020-21 budget presented by Yediyurappa stated that the “bicycle scheme introduced for school students and others will be continued.”

The popular scheme intended to encourage more children to attend government schools – especially in rural areas – is much in demand with the new school season set to begin after the Covid-19 disruption in 2020 and 2021.

A senior teacher from a government high school in Devanahalli taluk – on the outskirts of Bengaluru – said they have received requests from parents to provide bicycles to their wards.

“Without the bicycle scheme for the last two years, students are facing difficulty in commuting to schools. Most of our students walk four km and they leave their homes at 8:30 am to attend their 10 am class. At least 12 students have bought their own bicycles to commute to school. Moreover, girls are finding it difficult to walk long distances and they are now coming in groups, fearing for their safety,” the teacher said.

While some students have chosen to buy their own bicycles, some children are staring at the possibility of dropping out of school, officials said.

Munegowda, the vice president of the Student Development and Monitoring Committee for the Devanahalli taluk in rural Bengaluru, said: “In the last academic year, at least five to six students dropped out. We are worried about the same trend continuing this year because a lot of students travel six to seven km every day to reach school.”

“We need at least 200 bicycles this year. We are writing to the higher authorities to resume the bicycle scheme soon,” he said.

While school dropouts are a concern, there are also concerns over low attendance in schools. A teacher from a government high school in Yadgir said, “There has been at least a 10 per cent reduction in attendance last year owing to the cancellation of the bicycle scheme. This year, too, we can expect some low attendance rates. Many students travel between five to 10 km and bicycles were their only hope.”

While the bicycle scheme for high school students has been popular since its introduction in 2008, there has been some controversy in the past with allegations of kickbacks in bicycle procurements being levelled against the government in the early years of the scheme.