The Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation (TNSTC) has come to the aid of rural students of Tiruchi, Perambalur, and Ariyalur districts appearing for Secondary School Leaving Certificate (SSLC) examinations by arranging special buses to transport them to the respective examination centres from their institutions.
Introduced from March 26 when the SSLC exams commenced, the special services would be operated till April 9 when the exam concludes. The TNSTC move to operate special buses came following representations from the heads of different schools to the transport corporation through the Educational Department ahead of the commencement of the examinations. While two specials were being run from some schools to pick up students from the institutions located in remote areas to the respective examination venue and back, in some other cases one service was operated in the morning and in the afternoon.
For instance, two specials were being run from the Government Adi Dravidar Welfare High School at Tiruvasi to the Government High School at Sirugambur in Tiruchi district to transport 149 students and back. TNSTC officials here told The Hindu that 12 examination specials were being operated in Tiruchi district from different schools to the examination centres.
With respect to Ariyalur district, the number of specials being operated was 11 and four specials in Perambalur. Without any request from the Educational Department, the TNSTC authorities had on their own arranged special buses in Perambalur district for the benefit of rural students taking the SSLC exam, the officials said. The buses make a trip in the morning to pick up students from their school and drop them in the examination centre.