Thiruvananthapuram: Minister for General Education V Sivankutty has said that no child shall be excluded from study tours organised by schools for want of money. The Minister has sought a report from the Director of General Education on steps to be followed in the conduct of study tours and celebrations in schools. The report will be submitted within a week.

School tours are now becoming pleasure trips. Many schools spend huge amount on organising these trips. When students from economically backward sections cannot afford this, it causes emotional stress in them. The study tours shall be planned in such a way that it will have to be affordable for everyone, the Minister said. PTA committees and staff management committees shall bear the travel expenses of teachers and PTA members who accompany students in study tours. 

The school authorities shall not seek information on conveyance and education fee directly from students in classrooms in the presence of other students, said Minister for General Education V Sivankutty. In a press note issued here on Thursday, the Minister said that all parents have mobile phones and authorities shall contact the parents over phone to talk about fees.