Class 8,9 govt students will be taken for excursions to other southern states

At present, students would usually be taken to the local museum, zoo, Guindy national park, Planetarium and other Science field trips.

A senior official from the School Education Department told DT Next that now, students will now have a chance to visit neighbouring states such as Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka and Kerala. The official said the government will allocate about Rs 50 lakh per year for the student’s excursion. 

“This is an exposure visit and an initiative that provides students learning experiences by exposing them to different cultured, values and system,” he added. He said the excursions will be arranged for Class 8 and 9 students of government schools in 67 educational districts. “Children will be taken to science centres, museums and architectural places in Bengaluru, Mysuru, Thiruvananthapuram and Hyderabad,” he said.

Stating that the Directorate of School Education is in the process of discussing with IRCTC the arrangements of the exclusive tour packages for the students, the official said, “The three-day excursion, which is for free, includes food, accommodation and transportation”.

“About 3,500 students from Class 9 will be selected and likewise, about 1,000 Class 8 students will be picked up for the trip,” he said, adding, the selection process will be based on the student’s academic performance. Pointing out that teachers will be trained on how to manage the students during the trip, he said, “Students will be sent to trips after getting approval from their parents. All safety aspects will be followed during the trip with the help of experts.” He said the government is also in the process of studying the feasibility of arranging visits to north India in the future.