The incident of a private van turning turtle while carrying school students in Kandivli has yet again brought the issue of students' safety in school vans to the fore. For the last several years, activists, educationists and school bus owners have repeatedly raised concerns over the mushrooming of such private vans in the city.
A large number of students across the city travel to their schools and back home in these private vans, which in most cases flout all the safety norms prescribed by the state. Most vans are overcrowded beyond their capacity as the owners try to maximise their profits at the risk of children's safety.
While a lot of schools warn parents not to compromise with their child's safety by sending them in school vans, parents are often swayed by two considerations. First, private vans often charge less money than school-owned buses. Second, these vans save time as they pick up students a little after the school's buses and manage to drop them a bit early as they ferry fewer students.
With the overall costs in schooling increasing year after year, parents often decide to opt for cheaper options. Along with parents, local RTOs and the transport department is equally responsible for the mushrooming of such illegal vans due to poor regulation from its side.
It's high time that all the stakeholders — parents, schools and bus owner's come together and address the issues with respect to student's safety.
