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| EDUCATION TRIBUNE |
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Riding dangerously Enhance literacy skills to achieve inclusive growth |
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Riding dangerously
IN spite of heavy dose of violence, blood and gore through the media, the news of schoolchildren getting killed in accidents involving school buses is still shocking and horrifying. There is something brutal about a society that cannot ferry its children safely from home to school and back. Innocent children oblivious of dangers going or coming back from school, enjoying the ride with their friends suddenly caught in the painful clutches of careless driving leading to their lifelong disability or cruel death is unacceptable. The onus of such breach of trust that the children have put on their guardians lies not only on the school bus operators but also on the school management, administrative authority and more significantly, on the parents. The Supreme Court of India has laid down guidelines to be followed for the safety of school buses carrying children (see box). The school bus operators are to comply with these directions. Enforcement and educational authorities are to regulate and monitor the compliance. Any lapse on this account will invite stern action against the defaulters or violators of the instructions and they will be challaned or prosecuted accordingly. In Chandigarh, the guidelines have been incorporated in permits issued to school buses and instructions have been given by the State Transport Authority, Chandigarh, to all principals of government and private schools, association of school bus operators and association of private schools to comply with the directions in letter and spirit keeping in view the safety of children. The challaning officers of the State Transport Authority are enforcing these guidelines by carrying out checking of school buses from time to time. However, the school bus operators are reluctant to follow the guidelines on the pretext of several excuses. School managements wash their hands of responsibility by saying the issue is between the bus operators and parents, and they have no say. In Punjab, Haryana and Himachal the situation is worse, where private taxis, maxi cabs, etc., are plying children in utter violation of rules, putting young lives in danger. All parents know that the buses are overloaded, children are jam-packed into them, and many of them can’t even get seats and remain standing. In rainy season, water drips inside and the children are made to sit on wet seats. Glass windows are broken causing chilly/hot winds to lash the children. There is no space to keep the bulky school bags. The drivers and conductors misbehave and have no sensitivity in handling children. Also, school buses are overcharging. The school bus fee should be charged for eleven months instead of twelve months, because for almost 150 days, including gazetted holidays, summer and winter vacations, preparatory holidays, second Saturdays and Sundays, the school remains closed and school buses do not ply and no service is rendered. This norm of eleven-month fee is not being followed by most of the operators. These are some of the routine features of school buses and most of the parents are well aware of these lapses. Yet, we do not hear any murmur of protest from the parents who are the biggest stakeholders in the ferrying business. The apathy of the parents is really shocking. If the school bus operators go on strike for a day, parents are on their knees to request them to call off strike so that their comfortable routine is not disturbed. They are ready to pay money blindly for a hassle-free transportation of their children without giving a moment’s thought to the fact that only a proactive approach can keep their children safe. But most of the parents do not want to take up cudgels against the bus operators who are, therefore, emboldened by an ostrich-like attitude of the parents preferring to turn a blind eye to the deficiencies in the buses or overcharging so that their children somehow reach school. The reason for blatant non-compliance with the Supreme Court guidelines by the bus operators or with the eleven-month fee structure is thus the indifference of the parents who assume that their duty towards the transportation of their school-going children is over with the payment of bus charges. Beware! This apathy could cost you dearly. Now that the Supreme Court has given us directions, the transport authority is doing its duty, if we want our children to come and go to school in a carefree, comfortable and caring environment, it is for us to act, to find out if the guidelines are followed, to collect information and data, to insist on compliance, to pressurise the operators and management for safe plying, to spread the awareness and sensitivity to child safety issues, to be vocal about this highly important issue and to be an active participant in our children’s safety. Or do we need a tragedy up, close and personal to start acting? The writer is Deputy Director, Academic Staff College, Panjab University, Chandigarh SC guidelines on school buses
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School buses should be painted yellow.
n “School bus” must be written on the back and front of the bus. If it is a hired bus, “On school duty” should be clearly indicated.
n The bus should have a first-aid box.
n The bus should be fitted with a speed governor of a specified standard.
n The windows of the bus should be fitted with horizontal grills.
n There should be a fire extinguisher in the bus.
n The school name and telephone number must be written on the bus.
n The doors of the bus should be fitted with reliable locks.
n To keep the school bags safely, there should be a space fitted under the seats.
n There must be a qualified attendant in the bus to attend to children.
n Any parent/guardian or a teacher may also travel in the bust to ensure these safety norms.
n The driver should have at least 5 years’ experience of driving heavy vehicles.
n A driver who has been challaned more than twice in a year for offences like red light jumping, violation of lane discipline or allowing unauthorised person to driver cannot be employed.
n A driver who has been challaned even once for the offence of overspeeding, drunken driving and dangerous driving, etc., cannot be employed.
n As per Section 2(47) of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988, an educational institution bus is a transport vehicle and therefore requires a permit to ply on the road. Being a transport vehicle it would also need to undergo mandatory fitness test every year, without which the permit cannot be renewed. |
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Enhance literacy skills to achieve inclusive growth QUALITY and quantity of human resources play a significant role in the overall economic growth of a country. Japan and China testify to the fact and are fine examples of human resource management and development. After Independence, India too realised the need to grow rapidly and to compete with the Western world, but its growth has been hampered by and large due to poverty, ignorance, unemployment, overpopulation, regional disparities, gender bias, social exclusion, etc. Inclusive growth refers to a process of development in which resources are distributed among all classes of society equally along with its advantages. Education is considered to be both as the greatest equaliser and an important agent of socio-economic change. It not only integrates students socially, ethically, culturally, but also enables them to develop better understanding of their goals and responsibilities in the inclusive growth of the country. It is an effective tool which bridges the gap between the rich and the poor and plays an important role in the uplift of the deprived sections of society. Therfore, all the ongoing programmes of school education need to be implemented effectively to achieve the concept of universal education. Similarly, adult education is equally important for the overall growth and development of the poor. Through adult education programmes, we can turn illiterate people into literate ones and provide them vocational training. Also, education has the requisite strength to enhance basic literacy skills, which can help achieve inclusive growth. After providing basic education to the poor, they can also be engaged in skill development. Today, the need of the hour is to redesign need-based skill-oriented programmes suited to our population and the needs of our society as a whole. Equipping the poor with relevant education can further lead to solving the problem of unemployment. Though the country may face numerous problems while achieving higher rate of literacy and implementing skill-based training programmes, we can encounter these problems successfully by way of effective use of information communication technology and the media for educating the larger section of our society. The school boards of education and universities should come forward and restructure their educational programmes for the deprived sections of our population with an idea to bring them in the main stream. The basic idea is to bring the varied diverse groups closer, developing among them better understanding for initiating more pragmatic and practical measures to redefine the rapid inclusive growth of India in the 21st century. The writer is an award-winning teacher |
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Maharshi Dayanand University, Rohtak A special workshop aimed at popularising science amongst school students and attracting bright talent towards science concluded on the university campus recently with a thrust on promoting science education in the nation, and building scientific temperament in society. Dr S.G. Dani, an eminent scholar of the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Mumbai, delivered the valedictory address highlighting the important facets of mathematical sciences. According to Prof. S. K. Gakhar, convener of the programme, the target of the workshop was to create right orientation for science education and help unearth talent for the future. Earlier, eminent scientist R.P. Malyawar, a former Professor of Kurukshetra University, and Prof. T.P.Singh (A.I.I.M.S., New Delhi) enlightened the students about science and focused on various topics, including the immune system of human beings and the importance of antibiotics. While Prof. S. N. Mishra discussed the importance of career in science, Prof. Hukam Singh (NCERT, New Delhi) highlighted the importance of mathematics in daily life and emphasised on activity-based learning, and honing mathematical skills by constant practice. Prof. J.S. Rana (DCRUST, Murthal) explained the role of science in life and threw light on the emerging field of nano-science. About 300 school students from all over Haryana participated in the event. Registrar appointed
Dr Asha Kadyan, Professor and Head, Department of English of Maharshi Dayanand University, has been appointed Registrar of B.P.S. Mahila Vishwavidyalaya, Khanpur Kalan (Sonipat) by Governor-Chancellor Jagannath Paharia. Dr Kadyan has been a faculty member of the Department of English since 1995 and has academic experience of about 35 years. She has a number of research papers and two books to her credit.
Result declared
The university has declared the result of the BE/B.Tech semester examination held in December, 2011-January, 2012. The result is available on the university website www.mdurohtak. ac.in. The candidates who want to appear in the next examination on the basis of this result may submit their examination forms online.
Awareness camp
A camp to spread awareness about anaemia was organised recently on the university campus under the aegis of the Youth Red Cross Unit. Health specialist from Pt B.D.S. University of Health Sciences, including Prof. P.S.Gahlaut, Prof. Savita Singhal, and dietician Meenu Gandhi, dwelled upon the various aspects of anaemia, including its prevention and cure. About 500 girl students took part in the camp. Prof. Asha Kadyan, Provost (Girls Hostels), presided over the camp.
Geography dept gets UGC grant
The Department of Geography of Maharshi Dayanand University has been selected by the University Grants Commission (UGC) under its Special Assistance Programme (SAP). According to Prof. Mohd Izhar Hassan, Head, Department of Geography, the UGC will provide a grant of Rs 61.75 lakh for a period of five years under the SAP. The thrust areas of research and teaching under this programme would be population and social development; issues and challenges; and environment-development interface. Notably, the SAP intends to promote quality of teaching and research in various disciplines. The primary aim of the programme is to combine teaching and research to encourage group research efforts in pursuit of excellence. — Contributed by Bijendra Ahlawat |
