School Timings
Today's newspaper carries the news that the Education Department is considering staggering the timings for all schools. This is being done so that the school timings don't clash with the peak traffic hours in the city and hence is being considered as a step to decongest the city traffic.
I pass by New Horizon School everyday on my way to office. I used to often think about the same point as to why can't the school timings be changed so as to spare the children of having to go through the madness.
I was browsing on the net and found that there are more than 3500 schools in the city and close to 11 lakh school going children! Isn't that a huge number? Come to think of it, a large number of children travel in auto rickshaws and Matador vans that are usually loaded more than their capacity. This also leads to a slow moving traffic and is also an unsafe travel option for the kids. Though overloading of private vehicles is legally an offence, parents also don't object to it due to the unavailability of other viable options. In this regard, the government's announcement that very soon they will start a special bus service for school children, is a step in the right direction.
Another issue that exists is that though there are schools cropping up at every nook and corner of the city, most of these don't have the basic infrastructure. There are no adequate provisions for alighting, boarding, parking of vehicles or cross over facilities for children at these schools. I wonder how the government is giving licenses to these schools(though I sincerely hope that one Mr. Horatti is not reading my post, otherwise he might go ahead and give fresh orders to close these schools in addition to the hundreds other which are on the verge of shutting down, thanks to our man!).
Children are the future of our nation. In that regard I see no initiatives being taken by the goverment to create an awareness among children regarding traffic rules and road safety. I still remember that during my school in Chandigarh, we had a compulsory training on "Traffic Rules and Road Safety". During this training, we were taken to the traffic control department and one of the authorities there gave us an informative presentation on how to cross the road, basic traffic rules and signals etc. I doubt any schools have this exercise as a part of their curriculum. If we don't put enough effort in synergising the right ideas and attitude in the minds of these children, it's unreasonable to expect these kids to put an end to the chaos that we have started.
Another annoying thing that I have observed is that despite innumerable "No Horn" signs near school premises, so many people still keep honking to their heart's content. I just don't understand why they do it. If you don't trust me, try standing near the New Horizon School, 14th Main, Indiranagar at around 9 am in the morning. I bet you won't be able to bear the noise for more than 5 minutes. I pity that the students and teachers have to bear the cacophony everyday. On the contrary, I think it's better to throw away all those "No Horn" signs as I suspect that many people remember to honk after seeing those sign boards!!
Strange are the people of our nation!!
Today's newspaper carries the news that the Education Department is considering staggering the timings for all schools. This is being done so that the school timings don't clash with the peak traffic hours in the city and hence is being considered as a step to decongest the city traffic.
I pass by New Horizon School everyday on my way to office. I used to often think about the same point as to why can't the school timings be changed so as to spare the children of having to go through the madness.
I was browsing on the net and found that there are more than 3500 schools in the city and close to 11 lakh school going children! Isn't that a huge number? Come to think of it, a large number of children travel in auto rickshaws and Matador vans that are usually loaded more than their capacity. This also leads to a slow moving traffic and is also an unsafe travel option for the kids. Though overloading of private vehicles is legally an offence, parents also don't object to it due to the unavailability of other viable options. In this regard, the government's announcement that very soon they will start a special bus service for school children, is a step in the right direction.
Another issue that exists is that though there are schools cropping up at every nook and corner of the city, most of these don't have the basic infrastructure. There are no adequate provisions for alighting, boarding, parking of vehicles or cross over facilities for children at these schools. I wonder how the government is giving licenses to these schools(though I sincerely hope that one Mr. Horatti is not reading my post, otherwise he might go ahead and give fresh orders to close these schools in addition to the hundreds other which are on the verge of shutting down, thanks to our man!).
Children are the future of our nation. In that regard I see no initiatives being taken by the goverment to create an awareness among children regarding traffic rules and road safety. I still remember that during my school in Chandigarh, we had a compulsory training on "Traffic Rules and Road Safety". During this training, we were taken to the traffic control department and one of the authorities there gave us an informative presentation on how to cross the road, basic traffic rules and signals etc. I doubt any schools have this exercise as a part of their curriculum. If we don't put enough effort in synergising the right ideas and attitude in the minds of these children, it's unreasonable to expect these kids to put an end to the chaos that we have started.
Another annoying thing that I have observed is that despite innumerable "No Horn" signs near school premises, so many people still keep honking to their heart's content. I just don't understand why they do it. If you don't trust me, try standing near the New Horizon School, 14th Main, Indiranagar at around 9 am in the morning. I bet you won't be able to bear the noise for more than 5 minutes. I pity that the students and teachers have to bear the cacophony everyday. On the contrary, I think it's better to throw away all those "No Horn" signs as I suspect that many people remember to honk after seeing those sign boards!!
Strange are the people of our nation!!
posted by Sandeep at 5:06 AM
0 comments
