According to reports, some private schools in the Techiman North District of the Bono East Region, are using Tricycles locally known as “Aboboyaa” and the “Yellow Yellow or Pragya” as Buses to convey learners to and from school.
The practice does not only undermine the quality of education in the district but also put the lives of the learners and facilitators alike at risk.
This came to light when the National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO) in the Techiman North District, made a move to check the conditions of School Buses carrying learners and facilitators.
During the check it came to light that some schools used buckets of Pick-ups to pick their Pupils while some buses were in very terrible states and those in good shape lacked insurance or road worthy documents. Some drivers of these supposed school buses don’t have driver’s licenses while overloading is a common practice in those school buses.
Speaking in an interview with ASTA FM’s Nana Kwadwo Adu during the exercise, Mr. Samuel Agyei Effah the Techiman North District NADMO Director said his outfit mounted a checkpoint on the Tuobodom-Techiman Highway to inspect these school buses as part of their mandate to prevent disasters in the Country.
“We decided to monitor the conditions of the buses that have been sending our children to school, the sad thing is, some of the drivers who drive these school buses don’t even have a driver’s licence and some of the buses also don’t have the appropriate documents.
“We also realized that some schools use Aboboyaa as their means of transport and that is very bad, so that is why we at NADMO decided to embark on this mission because prevention pays so we don’t want to wait for a disaster to occur before we take action. He told Nana Adu
Mr. Agyei Effah reiterated that their operations will continue in Techiman North District as this first phase of the exercise is to inspect, identify and warn Schools whose busses are not in good shape but warned that NADMO will collaborate with other law enforcement agencies to prosecute offenders who do not make positive changes in their School transport system.
“One may ask if we (NADMO) are now part of the police force or road safety workforce but the truth is, NADMO have authority which is backed by law to conduct inspections on our roads to prevent any unforeseen circumstances.
“We will plead with parents to prioritize the safety of the children by ensuring that they get the best of vehicles to transport them to their respective schools.
“This is phase one of our operation concerning the condition of the school buses and we will warn them to change for the better because in phase 2, we will prosecute schools and drivers who fail to meet our standard. He said.
Source: Elvisanokyenews.com/Nana Kwadwo Adu
