Kerala govt to roll out ‘road safety cadet’ programme for school students

Thiruvananthapuram: The General Education and Motor Vehicles departments will jointly launch a 'road safety cadet' programme aimed at "building a safe Kerala with the help of children", Minister V Sivankutty said on Thursday. In a Facebook post, Sivankutty, who also holds the Labour portfolio, said the initiative was an important step in the government's policy to make road safety awareness a part of the school curriculum.

The programme will be inaugurated later this month at Mavelikkara in Alappuzha district, he said. The pilot run of the programme was completed at the John F Kennedy Memorial School in Mavelikkara taluk, the minister said. Giving details of the initiative, Sivankutty said that in the first phase, the programme would be implemented in one high school or higher secondary school selected from each educational district, with priority given to government and aided institutions.

The first phase will begin from the upcoming academic year, he added. Each batch will comprise 30 students, with equal representation of boys and girls. The syllabus will include 15 hours of academic classes, five hours of work experience and 10 hours of physical training.

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Apart from road safety rules, the cadets will be trained in trauma care, first aid, anti-drug activities and swimming, in collaboration with the fire brigade. They will also receive technical work experience through workshops conducted with the Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC), he said.

Dressed in red T-shirts with black and yellow stripes, black shoes and maroon caps, the cadets will be deployed as safety coordinators in school vans, help control traffic within school premises and assist Motor Vehicles Department (MVD) officials in analysing the causes of road accidents, Sivankutty said.

He said Rs 10 lakh has been allocated from the Kerala Road Safety Authority (KRSA) fund for cadets' uniforms, and those who complete the training will receive certificates from the MVD. The government is also considering awarding grace marks to cadets, he added.