Educational trips outside India find no takers

It’s never too late for anything, be it quitting cigarettes or for a school trip. Yes, you heard it right, a school trip. If you have the time, money and, most importantly, a love for the outdoors, here’s your chance to be part of a trip like no other.

Few weeks ago, a city school took the initiative to take school children to experience the Amazonian rainforests in South America and to Churchill near the North Pole. Unfortunately, there are hardly any takers for these educational trips even though a month-and-a-half has passed.

There have been hardly two-three registrations for the North Pole trip and around eight for the Brazilian rain forest, even though the cost was subsidised. With the numbers showing no signs of rising and the days ticking, the school, in a last-ditch effort, extended the offer to all the ICSE schools in Bangalore (nearly 80).

The schools greeted the offer with complete silence. With the schools also showing no interest, the principal has now thrown open the offer to the public.

“We have already made the bookings and payments have been made in advance, and if the trip does not happen, it will eat into the costs of the school,” said Sharada Prasad, secretary of Sri Vani Education Center in Rajajinagar. Prasad had also blocked nine buggies especially for the trip when he was in the US in May.

Right now, Prasad is hopeful of going ahead with the trip even if there are five people for the North Pole visit and 15 for the trip to the Brazilian rain forests.

But why such a lukewarm response to the trip? According to Prasad, one of the key issues is finance. “However, we have subsidised the costs. I also feel that children really should have a keen interest in understanding natural phenomena. Only if they have a burning interest will they be attracted to such trips,” he said. Prasad said students also preferred to go on vacation with their families instead of the trip.

Even though the response has not been great, Prasad, undettered, said he would conduct the trip next year as well.