School on Wheel initiative by BBMP for out-of-school children

Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) is all set to conduct survey on children begging on streets or those working as hawkers to identify children out-of-school in the city.

The civic body would also map traffic points or junctions where such children are found. The BBMP aims to identify out-of-school children and plans to conduct a door-to-door survey across the city.

The BBMP along with Karnataka State Legal Services Authority, Karnataka State Commission for Protection of Child Rights, Bengaluru Police, Department of Social Welfare and the Department of Women and Child Welfare conducted a workshop on January 19 for volunteers who will manage the survey.

As per reports, the survey shall focus on traffic signals, markets, busy markets, busy streets, slums and areas where migrant workers are settled.

Around 48 NGOs have come forward to conduct the survey. Reports state that BBMP will collect all details of children aged between six and 14 years, including the ones who have not gone to school in their lifetime and the children who have dropped out.

N Manjunath, BBMP Commissioner, said that they have formed a committee to identify children begging at traffic signals, markets and other areas. They aim to identify the reason why they are begging.

District Commissioner of Murshidabad  recalled an incident when he was posted in West Bengal, he said that he got a call from the Saudi Arabian consulate that around 70-80 Indian children were spotted begging on the streets and rescued.

Once the matter was investigated, it was revealed that these girls were married as minors to men from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, who took them to UAE and pushed them into begging.

He added that if investigated deeply, actual reason why children beg on streets of Bengaluru can be found out.

The BBMP plans to get the children back to school through an initiative called, ‘School on Wheel’, after identifying these children.

Ten buses from Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) have been sought by BBMP, which will be repurposed into mobile schools where these children will be taught.

Each bus will have a whiteboard, cupboards for books and ample space for children to sit for their lessons. The buses will be driven to slums and other areas where the children are located through the survey. The repurposing of each bus will cost approximately Rs 4 lakh.