These children travel 40 km to write exams

Children of resettled families have to travel far to write exams

A view of the Tamil Nadu Slum Clearance Board (TNSCB) resettlement site, Koodapakkam in Tiruvallur district.

For children of families resettled in Gudapakkam, Poonamallee, from Aminjikarai, the Class X and XII exams have truly been a test of their endurance. In addition to the usual exam-related stress, they also have to deal with commuting daily to their schools which are almost 40 km away.

Residents claimed the lack of enough transport facilities had affected their children’s education. While many students have enrolled nearby, those in Classes X and XII have had a tough time shifting.

Few options

At least one family has stopped sending its children to school. D. Madhavan’s daughters, who are in Class X and XII, now help their mother with chores at home after they dropped out due to concerns over safety and lack of enough transport.

“Their school starts at 8 a.m., for which they have to leave home two hours before and by the time they return, it would be around 8 or 9 p.m. Also, the travel alone cost us ₹60 per day,” said Madhavan, a daily wage labourer, who tried getting his daughters admitted in schools nearby. “We couldn’t get the transfer certificates as the school had already received the hall tickets,” he said.

As many as 193 families from Aminjikarai were relocated to tenements built by the Tamil Nadu Slum Clearance Board (TNSCB).

“There are no direct buses available from Gudapakkam. The authorities could have at least postponed the relocation until after the exams,” said Radha (name changed), a domestic worker, whose daughter is in Class XII. She and her daughter have recently shifted to their relative’s house in Aminjikarai to prepare better.

“It takes nearly two hours to reach school, and she is really tired by the time she returns,” she said.

Tamil Nadu Slum Clearance Board officials said they are arranging more bus services.