Road safety issues still ignored in textbooks

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Nawaz Farhin Antara
Published : 04:00, Apr 14, 2019 | Updated : 04:00, Apr 14, 2019

Students’ blockade at the Pragati Sharani Road in Dhaka as part of protests for safer roads, March 20, 2019. PHOTO/Mehedi Hasan

Despite repeated calls for the inclusion of road safety lessons in National Curriculum and Textbook Board (NCTB) textbooks, the demand remains largely disregarded.
It was advised that pre-school, primary, and secondary school textbooks include chapters on road safety.
School books for first, second, fourth, seventh and eighth grade have no lessons on road safety at all. At the most, three lessons of this kind were found in third grade textbooks.
Existing chapters in most of the books do not have proper or complete content emphasizing life-threatening issues.
Kazi Md Saifun Newaz, assistant professor of Accident Research Institute at Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET), said even the chapters that do appear in the current textbooks are below standard.
“The pictures and content in the chapters do not clarify how to properly use roads and bridges. None of the textbooks feature how to properly use a foot overbridge, or how to cross a road safely,” said Newaz, also a member of the government formed committee to bring discipline on roads.
“The texts or pictures in the books of the other classes are rather poor in quality. They fail to teach anything substantial on road safety,” he added.
He also recommended updating the subject in textbooks, so it can incorporate teachings that may reduce road accident fatalities in the long run.
However, the NCTB defended the content of the textbooks, calling the existing chapters “enough for school children.”
NCTB member (curriculum) Moshiuzzaman said: “The content is enough for school children to become familiar with road accidents and avoid them.”
He said NCTB will update or change the content if necessary.
Moshiuzzaman said they have incorporated lessons on road safety in phases over the past few years.
“The children are learning about the issue through the chapters. For instance, a chapter called Nirapad Cholachal (Safe Movement) in the third grade Bangla book, discusses the issue in detail,” he said.
When asked about the books of first, second, fourth, seventh and eighth grade lacking the topic, he said lessons or pictures on road safety exist in the books for pre-primary, primary, and secondary.
Moshiuzzaman said children should learn about road safety practically.
“They (school children) will learn exactly what they see,” he said.
Ilias Kanchan, founder of the road safety organization Nirapad Sharak Chai, said the subject needs to be given more importance.
“Several events on traffic laws and awareness can be held at schools. These will yield a better results in fighting road fatalities,” he suggested.
Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) Chairman Mohammed Moshiur Rahman said: “It is very important to mention in textbooks that accidents happen due to people not following rules.
“At the 26th meeting of the National Road Safety Council (NRSC), committee members presented recommendations that need to be in textbooks. They want road safety to have a strong presence in textbooks for every grade.”
Recommendations on road safety in NCTB textbooks, from the government-formed committee:
>> Specific small chapter on road safety and traffic rules
>> Primary and secondary level books should incorporate more pictures and figures to clarify the textual content
>> Establish road safety programs to help students learn how to safely use the roads
>> Teach how to safely ride motorcycles, the importance of wearing helmets, following traffic rules, using zebra crossings, and foot overbridges

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