Gujarat on Tuesday launched 28 solar-powered mobile classrooms created from retired state transport buses to provide uninterrupted education to children of Agariya families living in remote salt-producing regions of the state.
The initiative, titled “School on Wheels” and locally known as Ranshala, aims to address educational disruptions caused by seasonal migration among Agariya communities in Surendranagar, Patan, Kutch and Morbi districts.
The buses were flagged off from the Pathikashram State Transport Depot in Gandhinagar by Minister of State for Home Harsh Sanghavi, coinciding with the launch of the statewide Shala Praveshotsav school enrolment drive.
Addressing the event, Sanghavi said the project demonstrated how unused Gujarat State Road Transport Corporation (GSRTC) buses could be repurposed for public welfare.
“While Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel has launched the statewide Shala Praveshotsav from Vadnagar, Gujarat ST has presented an excellent example of how its unused buses can be put to the best possible use through the Ranshala initiative in Agariya areas,” he said.
He described the programme as an innovative model that delivers education directly to children living in remote desert settlements.
“More than 20 children can study inside each bus, which is equipped with television and Dish TV facilities powered by solar energy. These children will also benefit from online classes conducted by the Gujarat Government,” Sanghavi said.
He added that the initiative would help ensure that children of salt-worker families no longer have to travel long distances to access education. “These buses, which were previously lying unused, have now been transformed into classrooms. More such buses will be prepared in the future so that not a single child living in remote areas is deprived of education,” he said.
The project has been jointly implemented by Samagra Shiksha, the Education Department and GSRTC to support children aged between six and 14 years from families that migrate seasonally to salt-producing regions.
Each mobile classroom is powered by a 3.8 KVA off-grid solar plant capable of operating for up to 48 hours without an external electricity supply. The buses are equipped with 43-inch smart televisions, Dish TV educational channels, FM radio, digital clocks, LED lighting, wall-mounted fans and other learning aids to facilitate both online and offline education.
To enable learning in harsh desert conditions, the buses feature portable study tables and seating arrangements, foldable outdoor shade nets, detachable blackboards and whiteboards, notice boards, purified drinking water systems, wash basins, water storage tanks, dedicated teacher cabins and library space.
The mobile classrooms also include recreational facilities such as Ludo, Snakes and Ladders, model clocks, swings, slides and basketball equipment. Health-monitoring provisions include digital weighing scales, height measurement systems and BMI charts.
Safety and hygiene measures comprise emergency exits, fire extinguishers, first-aid kits, dustbins and sanitation kits. Educational graphics, artwork, national symbols and learning displays have also been installed inside and outside the vehicles.
Officials said the initiative is designed to reduce school dropout rates among children in Agariya and other desert communities by minimising disruptions caused by seasonal migration and bringing educational facilities closer to where families live and work.
Of the 28 buses deployed under the programme, 20 have been allocated to Patdi taluka in Surendranagar district, four to Santalpur in Patan district, and two each to Anjar in Kutch district and Malia in Morbi district.
Following the inauguration, Sanghavi inspected the mobile classrooms and congratulated the officials, engineers and artisans involved in the project.
(With inputs from IANS)
