GPS and CCTV Cameras To Be Mandatory In School Buses

The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has issued a notice to install CCTV cameras, speed governors and GPS in school buses in order to ensure the safety of the children.

These guidelines have been issued on the directions of human resource development minister Prakash Javadekar after a recent school bus accident in Uttar Pradesh where last month, 12 minor school students and their bus driver were killed and 35 children injured when their vehicle collided with a lorry.

“Windows of the bus should be fitted with horizontal grills with mesh wires. School buses should be fitted with speed governors with maximum speed limit of 40 km/hr. GPS and CCTV arrangement should be made compulsorily in each vehicle and should be in working condition all the time,” a CBSE circular said.

Although the CBSE school authorities in the city are aware of the notification, they say that it will take some time to implement the rules.

According to the New Indian Express, Vallisnath, principal of Visakha Valley school said, “We have already held talks with two software companies regarding the GPS installation. The estimated expenditure to install the devices in our 14 buses has been calculated to Rs 6,000 each per year. We will fix GPS devices in two buses in the first phase,” adding that the management will bear the additional costs.

Murthy, transport in-charge of Chaitanya School, however, says that technical challenges pertaining to the devices remain a problem and that they have meeting has been scheduled in the month-end to implement it.

“All our nine buses have speed governors and we check the devices regularly to ensure that they are working properly. The drivers have also been trained to maintain the speed limit,” says IK Anand, Principal of Presidential School. DPS principal SK Pandey says that GPS will be fixed in the buses soon.