Enrol Children In Nearby Schools

Transportation has been one of the hallmarks of schools, especially private schools. This is because of burgeoning urban sprawl and parents’ choice of ‘quality’ schools that lie a long distance from their homes. So almost every private school has buses.

In a sense, transportation arrangements by schools have positive aspects. If there were no transport facilities and parents used their own vehicles to bring their wards to school, there would be much more traffic congestion. On the other hand, parents living in far-flung areas would not be able to get their children off to school. The higher the number of vehicles plying the roads, the higher the levels of emissions. Also, travelling on the same transport helps enhance social skills and interaction among the children, besides adding to confidence and socialisation, making them extroverts.

Negative aspects

However, negative aspects of commutes preponderate over the above positive aspects. Long commutes are harmful for children. Children have to wake up early and are forced to return home from school late. This spares a little time for children to do homework and other activities. As children stay most of the time outside their homes, they do not have much time to spend with their families. Spending adequate and quality time with families is very important for children's psychosocial development.

Further, most schools do not pay heed to improving transport facilities. Buses are often crowded. Safety protocol is often disregarded. There are the School Bus Directives, 2018, for the safe transport of school children. As children are mischievous and playful, they may take their heads out of the bus windows. So buses must have at least three horizontal metal or aluminium tubes along the windows. There must also be a bar in front of a seat facing the door.

The seating capacity is restricted to 1.5 times the normal capacity for under-12 children. The maximum speed limit is set at 40 kilometres per hour. Bus drivers are strictly forbidden to drink and drive. But the Directives are not always followed, sometimes resulting in untoward incidents or accidents. Further, some schools tend to hire public buses, which do not have safety standards as per the Directives. This is a flagrant violation of the Directives.

The operation of school buses contributes to traffic jams in the morning and in the evening. Once, the government sought to stagger school bus operation hours to reduce traffic congestion but this provision has not been implemented. It is not always possible to expand roads to reduce traffic snarl-ups. Demolishing houses and other structures may not be the right option. It is not only costly but also an injustice to the house owners because even if they are provided with compensations, the compensations are based on government rates, which are far lower than market prices.

The impact of long commutes on school children is horrible. Long commutes affect children’s academic performance because commuting children undergo stress and exhaustion. It is difficult for such children to perform well in studies. They have a little time for completing homework, studying and recreation. They may also experience sleep disorders. This deteriorates their health and physical wellbeing.

There is a tendency of enrolling children in preprimary schools, including playgroup level. Parents who both work feel relaxed after sending their wards to school. They do not think about the effects of school transport and other activities on their children.  Small children do not have a developed brain. The pressure of studies on children has a pushback on their physical and mental development. It would be better for children if they were admitted to class one instead of to preschool. By that age, they will have undergone more cognitive, social and psychological development than preschoolers have. However, it is not possible to eliminate the preschool level. But it may be possible to remove school transport to reduce stress and exhaustion in school children. For this, the government has to take strict action.

The government should make a bold decision regarding enrolling children in nearby schools. This will reduce the distance between homes and schools. This will promote walking to school. Small children can, however, be escorted to school by parents and they can be fetched from school under parental escort. Students studying in high levels can walk to school on their own. There is a misconception among parents that only expensive or faraway schools are excellent. That is why, parents generally choose schools that lie far from their homes. If this provision is implemented, there will be no need for school buses.

Role of the government

But families living in areas without nearby schools may suffer. They will have to arrange private transportation or rely on public transport. Here, the role of the government becomes pronounced. The government should take the initiative in not only expanding schools but also enhancing the quality of education. If the quality of government education can be maintained, attraction towards private schools will definitely come down.

This provision will not immediately commend itself to most parents and private schools. Parents may think that it is their right to enrol their children in schools of their choice, whether they are nearby or far away. They are also ready to bear an extra financial burden by way of transport charges. On the other hand, private schools may think they have the right to admit children from anywhere. In fact, private schools earn extra money from transport and board from day boarders.

There may be objections to this provision at the outset. But the government should be able to convince both private schools and parents that long commutes are harmful to children as they affect their physical, mental and social wellbeing. This is the fact verified by research also. It would be a lot better if the government, private schools, parents, educationists and child psychologists huddle together and thrash out a common strategy for eliminating school transport.

(Maharjan has been regularly writing on contemporary issues for this daily since 2000.)