Early Childhood Association forms School bus safety guidelines

Pune, July 15, 2019: With reference to the mishaps occurring with school children who commute by school buses and vans, the Early Childhood Association (ECA) has set up safety guidelines for schools and parents.

The ECA discussed and stressed on several important precautionary points that needs to be implemented for the well-being of the students in its EDUFEST 2019 held recently.

“There have been incidents when the bus drivers have locked the doors of the bus before checking for students or parents who fail to check the condition of the private vans before allowing their children commute into one. To avoid such untoward incidents, we have formed safety procedures which we want all schools and parents to implement,” said Dr. Swati Popat Vats, President ECA.

According to ECA, there should be general safety trainings for both the bus driver and lady attendants whose primary duty is to check the school bus thoroughly before locking the bus. Also, parents should avoid sending their children by rickshaws or any vehicle with open doors.

Secondly, both driver and bus attendant must know how to remove children using the emergency door in case of emergencies and the schools should conduct mock bus fire drills every three months with children, said Aditya Tapadia, National Core Committee Member, ECA.

“Both driver and bus attendants should be strictly advised against smoking and drinking and against watching indecent content on their phones and should be educated on the POCSO Act on sexual harassment. All buses should have a first aid box with band-aid, Dettol, cotton and tissues for emergency use,” said Dr Reeta Sonawat, Executive Director, ECA.

According to Swati Popat Vats, the association has advocated using a sign in and sign out book to make parents sign when the child is handed over to bus attendant, then make teacher sign when the attendant handover the child to them and the other way around.

Most importantly, there should be lady attendants in all buses whose duty is to see that the driver drives safely and does not break any traffic rules like speeding or changing the route.

“The attendant cannot leave the bus or the children unattended at any time or for any reason. In case of an accident or any emergency, she must first inform the school and only do what the center head has informed,” stated Vats