Adec has the five-year school plan for primary education stages, will enroll supervisors and educate them on the proper safety procedures while operating school buses.
Adec has 5-yr school safety plan
Traffic congestion on outer roads during peak hours is physically and mentally draining on school students who reside outside Abu Dhabi.
Arriving late to school, having to leave the house extra earlier to avoid traffic, and having to endure potential unexpected road surprises if the school bus driver is incompetent, are just a few of the resulting problems of traffic congestion that directly affect these students.
Outlining these problems and the action undertaken by the Abu Dhabi Education Council (Adec) to resolve them, Adec’s Executive Director of School Operations Mohammed Salem Al Dhaheri, indicated public schools are geographically distributed to serve all neighborhoods, so schools are conveniently located close to students’ residence.
“We are coordinating with the Emirates Transport to establish school bus routes in accordance with developed strategies and plans to avoid traffic. Moreover, Emirates Transport is organizing regular lectures and workshops to acquaint school bus drivers with the means to provide children’s safety while on board,” noted Al Dhaheri.
He said the five-year project for primary education stages, including kindergarten and elementary schools, will enroll supervisors and educate them on the proper safety procedures while operating school buses.
To further ensure the safety of students, Adec has also teamed up with the Traffic and Patrols Directorate to spread awareness as part of the campaign launched at the beginning of the new school year.
In reference to traffic congestion on outer roads, which often leads to an increase in journey times, Academic Advisor of Al Nahda National Schools Adnan Abbas, indicated school administrations are aware of the situation and take this into consideration if students, living outside the city, miss their first class.
“The school has set up a program for special cases, where the teacher briefs students during recess on the missed lesson; provided the delay does not become a recurrent daily habit,” explained Abbas. Abu Dhabi Police Traffic and Patrols Directorate Deputy Director Colonel Khamis Ishaq Mohammad, called on employees who reside outside Abu Dhabi to find closer accommodation to their workplace, to avoid the hardships of the daily commute.
He added the troubles of everyday traffic, particularly during peak hours, may result in chronic tension and stress, which poses a great risk to drivers’ life.
