Pending payment for BEST cuts off kids’ access to Mulund school

This disruption, caused by BMC’s delay in processing documents and settling payments with the BEST, is preventing almost 60 children from attending school

Mumbai: For the second year in a row, students at GV Scheme School in Mulund, managed by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), are experiencing delays in resuming their school bus services in coordination with the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST). This disruption, caused by BMC’s delay in processing essential documents and settling payments with the BEST, is preventing almost 60 children from the Chinchpada and Airoli area from attending school.

Pending payment for BEST cuts off kids’ access to school

After HT’s coverage last year, pressure on the authorities led to the resumption of bus services within five days. The slums in Chinchpada have students from the Gujarati community and the GV Scheme school is the nearest Gujarati medium school for them. Mukesh Devipuja, whose three children are studying in the school, expressed his concern over them missing out on their schooling.

“Now, almost 40 days have passed since the academic year started, and our children do not go to school physically,” said Devipuja. When parents approach the school, the teachers keep reassuring them by saying that they are working on providing buses for the kids.

Kiran Khanura, another parent of two children, said, “It has been almost two months now, and the children are home all the time. If the school buses start, they can go back to their school-time routine, and their education can continue. We send them to attend tuition classes so they can continue their studies.”

Khanura also pointed out that if the school does not start on time, there is a chance that the number of school dropouts in the area will increase.

The parents also raised questions about the efficiency of the BMC and BEST. “The issue should have been resolved by the education department and the BEST authorities before the education year started, but every year we have to fight for transportation.”

The Dira Social Welfare Foundation has been supporting nutritional and educational needs by conducting workshops for the children of Chinchpada for the past three years. Joshua Fernandes, a social worker with the foundation, said, “This interruption severely impacts their academic progress. Despite repeated follow-ups with the school, the issue persists as the necessary paperwork remains in processing by the BMC. These recurring systemic failures not only disrupt the children’s education but also dampen their enthusiasm for learning and compromise their future opportunities.” He added that they visited the school in mid-June to follow up on this issue and ensure the children wouldn’t miss school again this year, but the problem remains unresolved.

Chaitra Yadavar, the founder of the Dira Foundation, expressed her frustration, “The BMC is not supporting these education-hungry students in any way. In fact, they are creating the same obstacles every single year. The children are desperate and have now been out of school for 2 months. NGOs like ours are helpless.”

Meanwhile, sources from the education department said, “There were some departmental issues, which were resolved, and the application was submitted in Wadala depot. The BEST officials want additional approval by the BMC regarding the budget, which will be solved very soon.”