With the aim of arresting dropout rate and boost enrollment of girl students in higaher classes, Buddhabhumi Municipality of Kapilvastu district has gifted bicycles to 248 girl students of community schools.
The municipality gifted the bicycles to the girls of wards 5, 6,7,8 and 10, who have recently passed Grade VIII, under the Chief Minister Rural Development and Employment Programme, said Mayor Keshav Kumar Shrestha.
Sushila Darlami, member of the programme’s selection committee, said the objective of the programme was to ensure that no girl student had to quit education because of lack of transportation.
With a bicycle in hand, a girl is more secure on the way, regular in school and it also saves time and energy, she added.
Darlami added that the programme would also help reduce the dropout rate of girls after completing basic education.
The municipality has purchased 248 bicycles at a cost of Rs. 2 million under the programme, said Mayor Shrestha.
Puspa Pariyar, one of the beneficiaries, shared her happiness over receiving a bicycle for free.
Pariyar, who belongs to a poor family from Jodhpur, Buddhabhumi-4, said this was the first bicycle of her family.
She said she used to ride her friend’s bicycle whenever she got a chance. “After receiving my bicycle, I feel more secure on my way to school. This has also saved my time, energy and even has helped me perform better in school,” she said.
“My father works in India. We don’t even have land for farming. So I never asked my parents to buy me a bicycle,” said Pariyar.
She further informed me that she used to suffer a lot because she had to walk a long way to reach her school. And for the same reason, she used to miss her first class every day.
“Because I didn’t have a bicycle, I was always in a hurry to reach the school. I used to think that if I had a bicycle too, I would be able to attend the class. Finally, my dream came true. I am very grateful that I got selected for the scheme,” said Pariyar.
The programme was unveiled by the provincial government after it noticed an alarming decline of girl’s enrollment in high school.
Source : TRN,
