Disha Tandon, Pune
In the light of a recent report of two minor girls being sexually abused by a school van driver at Wanowrie in Pune, the Regional Transport Office (RTO) has strengthened its measures to ensure that school transportation for children is safe. Post the September 30 incident, the RTO issued an appeal to schools to recruit female staff to drive all school vehicles to ensure a safe space for children.
Regional Transport Officer, Archana Gaikwad said that there needs to be an STC in every institution. According to the law, every school transport committee must be formed by police officers, RTO officials and parents so that the government is able to ensure that schools follow all safety features. RTO has launched an integrated web portal that will keep a tab on how efficiently schools follow the safety protocols issued for such transportations.
The tragic case reported that the school van driver was alleged to have indulged in inapp behavior with two six-year-old girls over a period of several days. One of the girls mentioned a feeling of uneasiness that parents engaged in conversation to find out that the other girl who was victimized also had similar experience. As part of the RTO’s pragmatic effort to avoid such incidents, it would like to increase supervision within school transport.
The RTO is not recruiting just women on its staff but also deploys inspection teams to check if school buses and vans conform to the transport regulations. Swamnil Bhosale, Sub-Regional Transport Officer, mentioned that ten teams of 20 officers each had been assigned for inspections along with mentioning if a violation is committed under student transport rules. The education department directed all schools to timely update the newly launched portal regarding the student transport information. Those schools would also get a chance for the proper sanction by the education department if they did not do so.
It also further empowered parents who could view the reports submitted by schools and file complaints through the portal in case of violations, thereby making it safer for children with accountability enforced on school authorities.
The RTO is conducting meetings with school principals for a briefing on the importance of adhering to safety measures as part of this. Gaikwad said the department would advise the education department to take action against schools which violate transport rules.
These measures taken together would now define the stand of Pune RTO in protecting the children at the times of transport, thereby consolidating the shared responsibility of school, parents, and authorities in order to send kids safely to school.