The National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) has issued a safety checklist for school administrators aimed at ensuring the safe transportation of learners when schools reopen.
In the advisory issued on Monday, April 20, NTSA highlighted the need for strict adherence to road safety measures, particularly by institutions that rely on school buses and vans to transport students.
The authority urges schools to only use vehicles that are roadworthy, noting that poorly maintained vehicles significantly increase the risk of accidents.
School administrators have also been directed to ensure that all drivers hired to operate school transport vehicles are qualified and properly licensed.
Additionally, the checklist requires that all school buses be equipped with functional safety belts.
Read More
The authority further calls on schools to actively supervise and monitor driver conduct, including enforcing discipline and ensuring that drivers adhere to traffic regulations at all times.
Further, NTSA directs schools to ensure that both drivers and conductors are sober while on duty.
The checklist also underscores the importance of using designated and approved routes for school transport.
Schools are advised to ensure that buses and vans do not deviate from safe and established routes when picking up or dropping off students.
"As schools prepare to reopen, all school administrators are urged to ensure that their transport vehicles are roadworthy and compliant with safety regulations," the authority said.
Notably, earlier in the year, NTSA reiterated strict operating hours for school buses to ensure the safety of learners on the roads.
In a notice on Friday, January 9, the agency noted that school buses must adhere to a fixed schedule to minimize risks associated with early morning and late evening travel.
"School buses are not permitted to operate before 6am or after 6pm keep learners safe. Early morning and late evening travel increases risks," the notice read.
Prior to that, Notably, the National Police Service (NPS) had raised alarm over a sharp rise in road traffic accidents across the country at the start of 2026.
In a statement on Wednesday, January 7, the police said the accidents have already claimed over 30 lives within just the first week of the new year.
The service warned that the tragic trend has come with severe consequences for victims and families.
"The National Police Service (NPS) has noted with great concern and regret an increase in road traffic accidents that has so far claimed some 31 lives in the first six days of the new year 2026.
"This has been accompanied by devastating injuries, destruction of property and other grim realities as a consequence. This is unacceptably alarming and cannot be allowed to continue. It is a crisis that demands immediate, collective, and decisive action," the statement read.
NPS said early investigations showed that most of the accidents were caused by avoidable mistakes by road users.
"Preliminary analysis of the majority of the accidents points to preventable human error. They include: reckless driving, speeding, driver fatigue, driving under the influence, persistent violations by boda boda riders, including travelling the wrong way and riding on walkways, causes that are totally avoidable," the statement added.
