Marcos Gonzalves
marcos@herald-goa
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MARGAO: Worried about the safety of students who attend remedial classes after school hours, parents, citizens and even political parties have urged the
government to provide them a safe mode of transport home .
Even as Chief Minister Pramod Sawant has made it mandatory for government and aided school teachers to put in 200 hours of remedial classes for weaker students, in a bid to cut out the need for private tuition classes, parents say children are forced to walk home alone from school, as they are usually working at the time the classes end, and there are no reliable means of transport in most villages.
The Nationalistic Congress Party (NCP) has gone a step further, and submitted a memorandum to the Education Department, requesting them to take immediate steps, to prevent an untoward incident.
NCP Nuvem block president Francis De Mello has demanded that the Bal Rath bus service be made available to drop the students home safely.
Appreciating the decision taken by the government to start remedial classes for the students, he said that the government and the educational institutions need to show some concern towards the safety of students attending these classes, which often go on beyond 2 pm.
“I have observed that during the late afternoon and in the evening, there are hardly any people around the schools. The students walking on the side of the road are in serious danger of being hit by a speeding vehicle. Also, there is no one to protect the children against anti-social elements who may want to harm or kidnap them,” said D’Mello. The situation becomes especially difficult for students from economically-backward families, as the parents are usually engaged in blue-collar jobs and cannot afford to leave work in order to escort their children home.
“My kid is studying in a city-based school, but many times he has to return back home alone, as both his father and I go to work. My son walks three kilometers to return home after his classes, and is tired out,” said Rosita Fernandes, a parent.
She further informed Herald that her son has to remain hungry till the remedial classes get over.
Another parent Vikant Naik told Herald that there is no service from either private vans or vehicles, or the school management, to pick up and drop students, even the younger ones, and parents need to take time off from work to ensure the safety of their children.
“Educational institutions should commission the Bal Rath buses to drop students attending the remedial classes,” he urged.
