Bhubaneswar: With an aim to curb fatalities on roads by creating awareness among school students, the state government has included road safety in the textbooks of students between Class-V and Class IX.
Students will learn basic road safety rules and regulations like wearing helmets, seatbelts while driving, driving on left side, among others. The government has already included road safety as a topic in the curriculum of teacher’s training programmes being imparted at existing teachers’ training institutes. From next academic year, the topic will come up in Class-X syllabus.
The government has also decided to observe Road Safety Day in schools once in a week. This day will feature painting, quiz and debate competitions on road safety among students.
“We have included road safety in the school curriculum. Students will learn it in schools from Class-V to Class IX. However, it may change as new education policy-2020 has come into effect. Following the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT), we will revise our entire school curriculum,” said director of State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT) Gangadhar Sahoo.
Similarly, community education programmes will be conducted in roadside villages with an aim to train 3,500 participants at regular intervals. To provide critical care to accident victims, the government also planned to set up trauma care centres (TCCs) in each of 30 districts. So far eight have been made functional.
Fatalities on roads have not stopped even during lockdowns. At least 360 people were killed only in April and May. As police personnel are busy in Covid management duty, it was decided to strengthen enforcement activities by RTO officials, sources said.
To check technical problems on roads, the transport department has conducted audit of all roads. The concerned agency has also recommended necessary measures to fix it. Out of 2,946 km length of national highways under the PWD, audit recommendations have been implemented for 475 km. Each year, 500 km road will be modified.
Similarly, out of a total of 1,808 km road under the NHAI in the state, audit has been over for 1,620 km. Recommendations will be implemented by 2022. Out of 16,527 km of district roads, audit recommendations have already been implemented for 2,500 km.