EDUCATION chiefs have rescheduled school buses and class timings in a bid to solve the traffic chaos caused by the return of thousands of students for the new academic year.
The move follows a barrage of complaints from angry commuters and parents and will be put into action tomorrow in a swift attempt to ease the congestion around education districts experienced during the morning and afternoon rush.
“The new-look school day, which includes bus timings and heeds students and parents’ interests, contributes to enhancing the quality of learning and smooth traffic movement, especially at peak hours,” said Education Ministry’s director-general of Schools’ Affairs,
Dr Mohammed Mubarak Juma.
Traffic congestion during pick up and drop off was once a regular day-to-day occurrence pre-Covid 19 and the authorities and members of the public were caught out when schools reopened fully last week, as highlighted in the GDN last Thursday.
Dr Juma revealed that the decision to reschedule and stagger the school day, as well as the timing of school buses, had been taken following ‘extensive consultations with all stakeholders’.
From tomorrow the school day will begin at 7.05am at all public educational institutions and end at 12.35pm at primary schools (including those of the primary level of the Religious and Jaffari institutes), at 1.30pm at intermediate schools, and at 1.45pm and 2.15pm at secondary schools and the Religious and Jaffari institutes (for both the intermediate and secondary levels).
As for technical schools, timings will remain unchanged from 7.05am to 1.45pm for morning period students and from 2pm to 7.30pm for evening classes.
Regarding buses, Dr Juma said they would depart at 6.10am for intermediate and secondary students and at 5.45am for secondary and technical students, along with the primary, intermediate and secondary students of the Religious and Jaffari institutes.
He added that all buses would leave schools before peak times ‘to ease traffic and strengthen partnership with other government entities’.
The move should help working parents who have to pick up children, the authorities hope, and assist commuters trying to arrive at their place of work on time and get home at a reasonable time.
There will be a flexible attitude too with guarantees that children can remain safely on campus until they are all picked up.
Educationists and parents will monitor whether the early start for some pupils has any adverse effect on their well being and learning capability.
As reported earlier, the ministry is providing 700 buses for 41,000 students, eight for students with physical disabilities and three for the specially-abled with caretakers.
mai@gdnmedia.bh
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