While majority of parents depend on private conveyance to get their children to school, a recent incident here has raised safety concerns.
How well do you know the driver who takes your child to school, is a question thrown by civic officials. The recent incident in which a driver was booked by the Mulanthuruthy police on charge of misbehaving with a girl student has triggered alarm bells across the city.
“Parents depending on private conveyance should use the incident as an opportunity to ensure that they have engaged a driver with a clean record with no criminal antecedents. Private operators merely stick the bill of ‘On school duty’ on their vehicles, but violate all other stipulations,” said T.P.M. Ibrahim Khan, president, Kerala CBSE School Management Association.
The Association has asked schools not to allow private vehicle operators to park and pick up students from their campus or immediate neighbourhood unless drivers submit a copy of their bio-data complete with their contact numbers.
In the recent case, the girl was alone in the vehicle when the accused driver made advances to her.
It is to avoid such circumstances that the Association has set rules that do not allow school buses to be operated by drivers alone, but should have a cleaner or ayah, preferably a woman, at all times, said Khan.
V.R. Sudheer, district secretary, INTUC-affiliated Ernakulam District School Trip Drivers Union, said that stern warnings have been sent to all its members to ensure that fingers are not pointed at them for misbehaviour. A meeting of the Union will be held on Saturday in the wake of the incident.
“Traffic police keep a close watch on school trip operators in the city limits. But this incident has happened in the suburbs. We have never thought of rules like not to pick up a girl first and not to drop a girl last until now, but may have to think of such precautions now,” he said.
Motor Vehicle Department (MVD) has set a minimum of 10 years experience in operating Light Motor Vehicle as a prerequisite for getting badge to operate school trips. Besides, the driver concerned should have no criminal antecedents, which the MVD verifies in cooperation with the police.
“We have also made it mandatory to exhibit our helpline number (85476-39121) on school trip vehicles so that parents or even the public can alert us when those vehicles are spotted violating laws. We get a lot of complaints on this number, whether it’s about the driver using mobile while driving or drivers not keeping time in pick or drop,” said Vinodkumar N., Motor Vehicle Inspector.
City police commissioner K.G. James said that the police had conducted a special camp for those driving school buses before the academic year began in June last year. “There are specific guidelines for those driving even private vehicles to pick up and drop school children. We also conduct regular checking along roads to ensure that they obey rules,” he said. He said that schools should keep a list of all private vehicles that pick up and drop children and their drivers.
The greatest worry for parents is when the designated driver delegates someone else at short notice.
“The driver may have confidence in him but we often have no idea about what kind of a person he is,” said Krishnaprasad, a parent.
