Speed Post News Network
New Delhi : Union Human Resource Development Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ on May 21, 2020, informed that Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti on May 15, 2020, successfully completed the exercise of shifting of over 3,000 students who were staying in 173 Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas in various parts of the country during the lockdown period.
Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas are co-educational residential schools run by the Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti, an Autonomous organisation under the Ministry of Human Resource Development, Department of School Education & Literacy. The main objective of the Navodaya Vidyalayas is to provide quality modern education including a strong component of culture, inculcation of values, awareness of the environment, adventure activities and physical education to the talented children predominantly from the rural areas. At present, there are 661 sanctioned JNVs in various States and UTs of the country where over 2.60 lakhs students are receiving quality education, free of cost.
One of the important features of the Navodaya Vidyalaya Scheme is the migration of students from a JNV located in a particular linguistic region to another JNV in a different linguistic region to promote understanding of the diversity and plurality of India’s culture and people. The migration scheme has been in operation since long and has been instrumental in inculcating a feeling of national integration among the students, according to a PIB release.
In the backdrop of COVID-19 situation, the Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti (NVS) had preponed its summer vacation schedule and the JNVs were closed w.e.f. March 21, 2020. While majority of the students of the JNVs could travel to their respective residences (which are mostly within the district boundaries) before the imposition of the nationwide lockdown, 3,169 outstation students who were staying in 173 JNVs under the migration scheme and 12 students who were attending preparatory classes at Centre of Excellence, Pune, for the JEE (Mains) exam could not travel to their residences.
With further extension of the lockdown period, these outstation students (including girls) mostly in the age group of 13 – 15 years, were increasingly becoming restless and home sick as they had not met their families for the past over 6 months.
The Samiti had been considering various possible options for shifting these migrated students to their homes at the earliest. After several rounds of discussions with the Ministry of Home Affairs, the State and District Administrations and obtaining all required permissions, the Samiti commenced shifting of the students by road through specially arranged buses even during the lockdown period. The shifting of students from various JNVs continued till May 9, 2020. The process culminated with the last contingent of the students reaching their destinations at Jhabua on May 15, 2020.
The entire activity was planned and executed by the Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti in a meticulous manner. No outside food was served to the students during the entire period of travel. The longest journey in terms of distance travelled by the students was between JNV, Karnal (Haryana) and JNV, Tiruvanathapuram (Kerala), a distance of 3,060 km ( passing through 7 States en route viz. Tamilnadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telanagana, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh) whereas the shortest one was between JNV, Bolangir, (Odisha) and JNV, Annupur (MP) which involved a distance of just 420 km.
Students from JNV, Nainital (Uttarakhand), reached JNV, Wyanad (Kerala), crossing, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka en route while those from JNV, Senapati (Manipur), travelled through difficult terrains of Nagaland, Assam, West Bengal, Bihar and UP before reaching JNV, Jhabua (Madhya Pradesh) safely on May 15, 2020.