Our kids’ safety is our duty

Leading schools ready to adopt GLS’ plan that will ensure vans carrying kids adhere to guidelines set by Gujarat HC
By Yogesh Avasthi
Posted On Wednesday, December 10, 2008 (Ahmedabad Mirror Cover Story)

Reacting to the Gujarat Law Society’s (GLS) plan to institute a tripartite agreement for van owners, parents and its schools to ensure children’s safety in school vans, four prominent education institutes in the city have pledged to follow suit.On Tuesday, Ahmedabad Mirror had reported the GLS group’s executive vice-president, Sudhir Nanavati’s plan to involve parents, van owners and schools in a bid to make sure school vans adhere to guidelines set by the Gujarat High Court (GLS vows safe vans for kids).

The agreement draft is now being sought by trustees of the H B Kapadia group, which governs more than 10 schools in the city, the Tripada Group, with three schools under its banner, Silver Bells High School in Bapunagar and the Nirman High School on C G Road.

The fact that the agreement is the brainchild of Nanavati, considered one of India’s leading legal luminaries, has further convinced the schools to adopt it in totality.
AM page of Dec 9On his part, Nanavati was more than happy to share his idea with other schools. “The more the merrier,” he exlaimed, adding, “The agreement’s final draft will be ready over the week-end and we would be more than happy to provide it to other institutes for their perusal.”

The schools’ managements believe it would be foolhardy to leave the vehicle issue to parents and van owners. The need of the hour, they say, is to involve parents and vehicle owners, with school authorities acting as a bridge between them.Nobody wants an encore of a Mumbai-like tragedy, where an LPG cylinder burst inside a school van charred to death three children and injured nine in January.

Said Archit Bhatt, managing director, Tripada Education Trust, “The GLS management deserves kudos for this move. There is no doubt schools will have to oversee the functioning of vans carrying children. Most of these van owners don’t follow rules, there is miscommunication between drivers and parents and nobody cares for the kids.

We would love to implement a similar system in our schools.”From the next academic year, the GLS, which governs C U Shah Primary School, N R Primary School, GLS Primary School and K N Primary School, has made it mandatory for every vehicle carrying children from their schools to register themselves with the education body.
SOMEBODY CARES FOR US: The plan drawn up by Sudhir Nanavati will ensure our kids have nothing to worry about in school vansTo ensure fool-proof safety of kids travelling in school vans, the education body has decided that the vehicle in which every child will travel between home and school will be pre-decided unless an emergency situation demands otherwise.

The students’ guardians will be given details of the vehicle, along with the driver’s mobile number, which the GLS will provide along with uniforms. The institute has vowed to make sure the van driver doesn’t carry more than 12 kids, and sticks to the speed limit of 20 kmph set for the school vehicles by the High Court (See By Invitation).

The educationists say schools must come together and embrace Nanavati’s plan. Said Arvind Sharma, managing trustee and principal, Silver Bells High School, “It is evident that merely making the students aware of traffic rules is not the solution. We need active parent involvement, and an agreement of this nature should have been introduced a lot earlier. But as they say, better late than never.”

Sharma’s views were echoed by Dr Ashish Desai, managing trustee, Nirman High School. He said, “In our system, people tend to become professional only through legal ways. It is imperative that we put everything in black and white. Also, schools can’t remain mute spectators in this dealing between vehicle owners and parents. Protecting their children is schools’ moral duty.” Agreed Muktak Kapadia, managing trustee, H B Kapadia Group. He said, “The GLS has set an ideal example for the rest of us. Indeed, there should be no compromise in the safety of our children.”