The Ghana Association of Private Schools (GNAPS) has endorsed the initiative by the National Road Safety Authority to register school bus operations and conduct routine inspections with the view to ensure service quality while advancing the welfare of school children.
The Authority, at an engagement in Accra with some stakeholders within the education sector, highlighted the operational or quality gaps in some of the buses used for the transportation of school children and discussed some of the regulatory measures provided by the National Road Safety Authority Regulations, 2022 (L.I.2468). The NRSA Regulations require school owners and proprietors to register school services with the Authority, as the Regulatory Authority for Road Transport Services.
The Ag. Director-General of the Authority, Ing. David Osafo Adonteng, announced that the registration of the school bus services would be carried out electronically through a self-help web-based application known as TransportGhana. He explained further, ‘The Authority has embraced technology to make this exercise seamless. Starting this March, all schools with bus operations will be required to access the platform on www.transportghana.org.gh to complete the free registration process. The Authority requires the data to plan, inspect standards and conduct compliance monitoring for public safety considerations.
In her response, the Chairperson of Ghana National Association of Private Schools in Accra, Dr Aisha Asi Akrofi, commended the Authority for the initiative and expressed the commitment of the Association to support the registration and regulatory framework. She explained that the association is equally concerned about the welfare of the school children and will work with the Authority to sensitize its members on the new regulatory requirements for school bus services.
Other stakeholders present including the Ministry of Education, Ghana Education Service, and the National Schools Inspectorate Authority (NaSIA) commended the initiative. The Director, of Regulations, Inspections & Compliance at the Authority, Mr Kwame Koduah Atuahene, reminded the duty-bearers of the need to collaborate to share data, information, practices, and experiences as there are no competitors in public service but collaborators.
The National Road Safety Authority Regulations, 2022 require that school owners ensure that vehicles assigned for the service are fit for purpose, drivers are trained in the transportation of school children, provide safe areas for loading and picking up of students, ensure the presence of a responsible adult to supervise the children while the vehicles should be marked as carrying or transporting school children to ensure the necessary courtesies in traffic.
Ghana | Atinkaonline.com
