PRAYAGRAJ: In order to ensure the safety and security of schoolchildren, the authorities of Maharshi Patanjali Vidhya Mandir (MPVM) have allowed the parking of school buses inside the campus. The initiative will also help reduce traffic jams around the time when school gets over.

This decision comes at a time when all city schools are reopening and the strength of students is gradually increasing.

As the school is located on the busy Prayagraj-Lucknow highway in Teliyarganj, traffic police authorities have appreciated the efforts of the school management to ensure the free flow of traffic on streets leading to the highway.

The school authorities, however, have not started plying on school buses yet in view of the pandemic. Students reach schools by their own transport as of now.

MPVM principal Sushmita Kanungo told TOI, “We are committed to the safety and security of our children. School buses will be parked inside the school campus so that children should do not face any sort of inconvenience.”

“As the school is located on the busy Prayagraj-Lucknow highway, we considered that crowding of buses and parents can cause traffic jams outside the campus. Hence, we took the initiative to ensure parking of school vehicles inside the campus.”

Kanungo further said that though there were space restraints within the school campus, meticulous and thoughtful planning rendered fruitful results.

MPVM is one of the schools which operates the highest number of buses. That is why this initiative is welcomed by the traffic police authorities.

Moreover, teachers have been put in charge of all school buses. Each bus is allotted to a teacher who takes attendance and records it in the attendance register. The signature is obtained from the students at the time of arrival as well as departure.

The attendance record is shared with the class teachers. In case, any child leaves the school early due to any emergency, the teacher in charge of the bus is informed by the class teacher so that there is no discrepancy.

Besides, parents, as well as teachers in charge of buses, keep a record of phone numbers of the driver and conductor, and their identity cards and police verification records are checked on a regular basis.

Meanwhile, senior traffic police officials said that the initiative of the school was praiseworthy and advised other schools to adopt similar initiatives to check jams.