I want to be a teacher or singer," said a girl, who was quickly joined by a bunch of girls rattling out their dreams and ambitions as children the world over are want to do. "We are going to participate in a competition in Hajipur, so wish us luck," said another.
For the children in government schools, the Nitish Kumar government in Bihar has done something that was never done before in the state's school system.
It has provided Rs 5,000 to every school for an excursion. So among the ruins of the famed Nalanda University, in between the busloads of Japanese, Korean and Sri Lankan tourists, run school children, on a trip many of them take for the first time.
"There are children who have not seen a police station, a railway station, so the Rs 5,000 is being used so that children can see places of interest in their area," says Anjani Kumar.
At the Islampur Middle School, only one girl from the Meena Manch has traveled as far as Kolkata. Another bunch traveled to the state capital Patna to participate in a competition. No one else has ever traveled beyond Hajipur, an hour's distance away.
Image: Government school children on a day's trip to the famous ruins of the Nalanda University. Since last year, the Bihar government has provided Rs 5,000 to government schools for excursions.
Advertisement
