Team Herald
PANJIM: Goa Government is set to introduce ‘road traffic management and safety’ in school and college curriculum, to enhance safety measures and create awareness about traffic related issues. This will start from the second term of the ongoing academic year, Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar announced on Friday.
Traffic management and safety will be a full-fledged subject, wherein students might have to answer exams and marks would be considered at the end of the academic year.
“Almost 300 deaths are reported in the State every year. But what is serious is 80 percent of deaths are in the age group of 16-25 years,” the Chief Minister said addressing a day-long seminar on ‘Management of Transport (traffic) in Goa’.
Refusing to disclose details, Parsekar, who holds the Education portfolio said departments like education, transport, public works department and police will be taken into confidence for drafting the subject. “I feel that children are the best teachers to their generation,” he said.
“The subject, which would be independent and full-fledged, will be introduced from the second-term of the ongoing academic year,” Parsekar said in the presence of Speaker Rajendra Arlekar, Leader of opposition Pratapsingh Rane and others.
Earlier speaking at the seminar, Arlekar proposed introducing traffic safety curriculum for school and college students. “Government is failing to create wide awareness on the issue. We need to think of a curriculum in the studies. There should be proper exams on the subject. The subject should be made compulsory,” he said.
The chief minister also announced the government initiative of ‘Little Police’, in a bid to help curb traffic violations and reduce fatal road accidents. The initiative involves young, school-going children being familiarised with policing laws, especially those dealing with traffic violations.
“We will make children do voluntary participation in managing traffic along with traffic cops,” he said.
Speaking at the seminar, Rane pointed to the government’s helplessness in acquiring land for road widening pending the Land Acquisition Act. He proposed that government should consider six-laning of the highway from North to South and East to West.
