The National Road Safety Authority, NRSA, has given all basic schools providing transport services up to Monday, February 28, 2022 to provide information on their drivers and vehicles, failure for which sanctions will be meted out.
In a statement, the Authority said it has observed that some buses providing transport services for primary schools are not fit for purpose, overloaded and have no adult supervisors on board. It also notes that children attending schools by the roadside in high traffic environments struggle to cross roads, increasing their risk of crashes, injuries and sometimes deaths.
It has, therefore, directed all affected schools to ensure that vehicles designated for the service are fit for purpose and drivers assigned are qualified by law to handle their bus while a responsible adult is assigned to the bus to help supervise them and ensure that they are loaded and offloaded at safe places.
The statement also directed that schools located by major roads must collaborate with Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies, Parent-Teacher Associations and school management committees to designate traffic wardens who shall assist the school children to cross the roads during peak hours.
