Following a decision by the Tamil Nadu nursery, primary, matriculation, higher secondary school association joint action committee not to ply school buses on Monday, parents of many children in the city had a harrowing time dropping their children using their own vehicles and hiring autos.
Apart from a few major schools in the district many did not operate their buses. Principal of a major school in the city which had not operated its bus services said that the parents of the children cooperated and there was no dip in the attendance percentage as it was usual like any other working day.
Some parents said that the spate of accidents involving school buses have happened in the recent past across the State and these rules framed by the government is necessary to ensure safety of the children. They opined that the schools instead of protesting should adhere to the rules stipulated by the government.
The decision not to operate buses comes in the wake of showing their mark of protest against some norms prescribed in the Tamil Nadu Motor Vehicles (Regulation and Control of School Buses) Special Rules 2012.
The rule says that the dimensions of the school bus’ emergency exit should be 5 x 4 feet and it should be on the driver’s side. All school buses should have licensed conductors. The rules also say the step at the entry should be at a height of one foot from the ground and buses should undergo fitness certificate tests every three months.
