Bihar government firm on 75 per cent school attendance

In state run schools in Bihar, students will now have to show up with at least 75 per cent attendance for claiming money meant for procuring cycle, dress and that of scholarship.

The Nitish Kumar led NDA government has been providing cycles , dress and even books to school children, a move which encouraged the parents to send their wards to school. Such an incentive policy for doling out direct cash subsidy to the beneficiaries was widely appreciated and even emulated by other states.

But in a new move, the incentives ranging from cycle to dress and books will be admissible to only those students whose attendance will not be less than 75 per cent.

"It will be a mandatory prescription. We found from a survey that 85 per cent teachers are present in schools. But we will also have to make sure that enrolled students also went to schools. The presence of enrolled children was less" the chief minister Nitish Kumar said in Patna.

The state government has also launched an campaign for doling out cash subsidy for cycle , dress and even scholarship amount. The government hopes to disburse nearly Rs 2800 crore by this month end by way of incentives to students . But this time the government has enforced a rider of 75 per cent school attendance for availing the incentives, a decision which has not gone done well with a section of guardians.