Kerala is to make the first step to incorporate road safety as part of the curriculum from the pre-school to upper primary level to sensitise youngsters to the importance of responsible driving behaviour.
The pathbreaking initiative, by the Kerala Road Safety Authority (KRSA) and General Education Department, has come at a time when numerous lives are lost on the road. Of the fatalities, 40% are pedestrians and 70% of them are children.
“Strict enforcement measures and awareness programmes do not help to bring down the road accidents and fatalities. The aim is to develop a road safety culture among the children with good attitudes and skills, first as pedestrians and cyclists and then when they start driving,” says Road Safety Commissioner, KRSA, N. Shanker Reddy.
The State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT), an autonomous body entrusted with planning, implementation and evaluation of all academic programmes in the State, has been roped in to prepare the curriculum.
Training
As the first step, one lakh-odd teachers who can impart training to the schoolchildren will be roped in.
A 100-page handbook in Malayalam, Surakshita Yatra , prepared by a 18-member expert team has got the approval of the Curriculum Committee and is ready for rollout. The teachers will be trained to use the activity-oriented handbook on all aspects of road safety and to effectively use road safety clubs for achieving the goal, says T. Elangovan, Executive Director, Road Safety, KRSA, and member of the expert team behind the handbook.
Aspects of road safety, right from how to use the road, travelling on a motor vehicle, road etiquettes, road signages and markings, first aid, traffic and motor vehicle rules, have been included in the handbook.
Handbook release
Road slogans, institutions working for road safety, frequently used words, road safety laws, and helpline numbers have been provided.
The handbook will be released later this month and the SCERT will come up with separate curriculum for each of the classes in consideration.
