Pupils practise safety precautions on their school compound. AIP
The Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport has issued an instruction to all public schools, requiring them to implement traffic safety measures for students commuting to school to reduce human resource losses due to accidents.
The directive, signed on March 15 by minister Hang Chuon Naron, introduces some measures to promote traffic safety.
For roadside schools with heavy traffic nearby, the management plays an important role in guiding and protecting student commute. They must set up traffic signs and barricades for students passing through and reduce the speed limit or put up loudspeakers, sirens or bells in front of schools to ease vehicular traffic flow when the students leave.
“They must put up traffic safety education signs or posters on school compound with various educational messages. They have to ensure the roads to schools are well-maintained, including national roads and river crossings, prepare roads for the disabled and designate roads to pick up students from school safely,” it said.
The ministry also instructed school staff to set a good example for others to follow. They have to instruct students to obey traffic laws, wear helmets or seat belts when travelling on bicycles, motorbikes or cars and be careful every time they travel.
“Education departments and offices nationwide, school management committees at all levels, educational staff, local authorities, parents and guardians need to join us in disseminating these instructions in the most responsible way,” it stated.
Kim Pagna, country director at the Asia Injury Prevention Foundation (AIP), said he supported the instructions as it will strengthen the implementation of traffic safety at public institutions.
He said students are one of the most important human resources and also the future successors of the nation. Therefore, there is a need to take preventive measures and protect them from traffic accidents.
He continued that these measures are especially important when students are on their way home from school and vice versa. It is also necessary for road users to pay close attention at all times near schools.
“Overall, I support these measures. In particular, the measures facilitate the travel of students at entrances and exits of the school, in line with the goals I observed.
“I also encourage and support our police officers, including local authorities and police stations and provincial police chiefs, to ease traffic flow on roads in front of schools across the country, especially on highways, on a regular basis,” he said.
He said that for these guidelines to be effective, the ministry or education departments should monitor each school and have them report back on traffic safety and what they have done to ensure these guidelines are in use in order to identify challenges.
