Ahead of the school reopening on Thursday, parents have expressed concern about the safety of students travelling alone to schools. “We are scared to send children alone due to the overspeeding of buses and two-wheelers. It is also very difficult for them to cross the roads as motorists rarely stop for them,” said Jithesh.P, a parent from Vengali in the city.
Jithesh is the president of the Parent Teacher Association at National ALP School at Vengali. “Our school is located within 50 metres from the Vengali railway overbridge, and the buses, especially the inter-district ones, pass through the bridge at very high speed. We do not allow students to go outside the gates during school hours due to the heavy traffic here,” he added.
However, the city traffic police claim they have made arrangements for the safety of students. “We will have a full force on the field during mornings and evenings to ensure the safety of students,” said Santhosh. P.K., Assistant Commissioner of Police (Traffic- North).
Awareness programme
Meanwhile, the Motor Vehicles department has given instructions to schools to ensure the safety of school buses, which a large number of the students in the city depend on for transportation. Schools have been directed to obtain fitness certificates from the RTO for the buses and to keep all the required documents. More than 200 school bus drivers and helpers attended an awareness programme organised by the traffic police on Tuesday to ensure that they follow the safety protocol.
On the other hand, there is another large section that depends on public transportation such as private buses and autorickshaws. The police have asked schools to keep a tab on private vehicles entering the school compound. “Private bus drivers have been given directions on handling the rush of students in the mornings and evenings,” the ACP said.
Meanwhile, it is not just vehicles that pose a threat to students on the roads. “There are a large number of street dogs in this locality. Hence, most parents make it a point to drop their children at the school personally, though they live at a walking distance,” said Meera Devi, Headmistress at Government LP School, Parappil.
