Schools brief drivers on issues regarding students’ safety

LUCKNOW: City schools on Tuesday held detailed meetings with the drivers of school vans / autos / buses. In these meetings, issues pertaining to children’s safety were discussed at length and the standard safety norms were explained to the drivers.

This initiative was an outcome of the district magistrate’s order issued on Monday that directed all schools to brief vehicle drivers with regards to students’ safety. The DM’s order also shared safety guidelines with the schools.

The order was issued in view of the recent Bhadohi tragedy where a school van was hit by a train, killing around eight children.

“On Tuesday, almost all schools organised meetings with school van and auto drivers and held detailed discussions with them on security and safety issues,” said district magistrate Raj Shekhar.

A day earlier, the district administration had issued safety guidelines for school vehicles. As per the administration’s guidelines, only registered buses or vans are to be used for transporting school children. Also, only driving license holders are to be allowed to ply these vehicles.

The administration’s order makes it mandatory for the driver to undergo regular health check-up and for the vehicle’s fitness to be tested at least once every 2 to 3 months.

The order has also made it compulsory for school vehicles to display the contact numbers of the school, the traffic police control room and the regional transport office in bold, so that these bodies could be contacted in case of any emergency.