Parents and teachers of Damphu Lower Secondary School in Tsirang are worried about the safety of their children. The increasing number of vehicles is posing a risk to the safety of the students. This week a boy was hit by a car while trying to cross the road to get to school. Fortunately, the boy suffered no major injuries but it has left both the parents and teachers worried.
This is the second accident case in the last three years. Since the school is located near the highway, every day hundreds of students use it to get to school. Many parents personally come to pick and drop their children. The risk of accident is high during the rush hour.
“Since the school is near the highway, it’s very risky for the students. So, most of the parents wait here since they are worried about their safety. It’s a problem both for the parents and the students,” said Lhamo, a worried parent.
The school has now stopped sending students out of school campus during the lunch break as a safety measure. Many parents come to feed their children during the lunch break increasing the risk of accident. Student volunteers are assisting the traffic police to help students cross the road and manage the traffic.
The Vice-principal of the School, Tshewang Tenzin, said the only lasting solution would be to divert the highway through other places.
Parents are, however, criticising the concerned officials for taking safety measure only after the accident occurred. While the parents are blaming the reckless drivers, drivers on the other hand are blaming the students for being careless.
