LET’S EASE CHILDREN’S TRANSPORT PROBLEMS
The deaths of seven secondary school students in a road accident in Dar es Salaam on Saturday serves once again to highlight the extent of transport problems that pupils and students face nationwide.
The students who died were riding on a light truck when the accident occurred, but this is not surprising as lorries are now a major means of transport for schoolchildren in Dar es Salaam and other parts of the country.
The main reason pupils and students clamber on to trucks and other conveyances that are not meant to transport people is the refusal by daladala crews to allow them on board on the grounds that the Sh150 they pay per trip is too little.
There have been commendable initiatives by institutions such as CRDB Bank and mobile telecom firm Tigo to provide transport to schoolchildren, but these have amounted to the proverbial drop in the ocean.
It is thus still common to see schoolchildren riding in brand new buses in one part of the city and others perched precariously on rickety lorries in another.The government has meanwhile found itself in the awkward situation of not being able to compel privately owned daladalas to take schoolchildren on board.
Perhaps the time has come for the Surface and Marine Transport Regulatory Authority (Sumatra) to sit with commuter representatives and daladala owners and come up with a fare for schoolchildren that will be acceptable to both parties.
This will save our children the agony of having to wait for safe and reliable transport for hours on end almost daily.Parents and guardians can also ensure that their children are not inconvenienced by transport problems by enrolling them at schools that are within walking distances from their homes. Many parents would rather their children, some as young as six, endure a 40- kilometre round trip to school daily than study at the “bad” school next door.
The students who died were riding on a light truck when the accident occurred, but this is not surprising as lorries are now a major means of transport for schoolchildren in Dar es Salaam and other parts of the country.
The main reason pupils and students clamber on to trucks and other conveyances that are not meant to transport people is the refusal by daladala crews to allow them on board on the grounds that the Sh150 they pay per trip is too little.
There have been commendable initiatives by institutions such as CRDB Bank and mobile telecom firm Tigo to provide transport to schoolchildren, but these have amounted to the proverbial drop in the ocean.
It is thus still common to see schoolchildren riding in brand new buses in one part of the city and others perched precariously on rickety lorries in another.The government has meanwhile found itself in the awkward situation of not being able to compel privately owned daladalas to take schoolchildren on board.
Perhaps the time has come for the Surface and Marine Transport Regulatory Authority (Sumatra) to sit with commuter representatives and daladala owners and come up with a fare for schoolchildren that will be acceptable to both parties.
This will save our children the agony of having to wait for safe and reliable transport for hours on end almost daily.Parents and guardians can also ensure that their children are not inconvenienced by transport problems by enrolling them at schools that are within walking distances from their homes. Many parents would rather their children, some as young as six, endure a 40- kilometre round trip to school daily than study at the “bad” school next door.
FIRE ARMS DRIVE LAUDABLE
Reports that the East African Community partner states destroyed over 12,000 illegally owned small arms and light weapons (SALW) in the last two years alone point to a major security concern in the region.
SALW are a major problem in Tanzania largely due to instability in parts of the Great Lakes Region. The arms are smuggled in from neighbouring countries and used in committing violent crime in various parts of the country, particularly the Lake Zone.
This explains the widespread use of combat weapons such as AK47 rifles and hand grenades by highway robbers, cattle rustlers and other criminals in Kigoma, Kagera, Mara, Mwanza and Shinyanga regions.
It is, however, heartening to note that EAC member countries have decided to work together to rid the region of the SALW menace. Tanzania, which has suffered greatly as a result of small arms smuggled into the country, stands to benefit a lot from the campaign.
In addition to tightening security along their common frontiers to prevent the cross-border smuggling of SALW, the EAC member states should also step up efforts to track down and impound all illegally owned small arms within their borders.This is crucial because security and peace are prerequisites in the regional integration process.
SALW are a major problem in Tanzania largely due to instability in parts of the Great Lakes Region. The arms are smuggled in from neighbouring countries and used in committing violent crime in various parts of the country, particularly the Lake Zone.
This explains the widespread use of combat weapons such as AK47 rifles and hand grenades by highway robbers, cattle rustlers and other criminals in Kigoma, Kagera, Mara, Mwanza and Shinyanga regions.
It is, however, heartening to note that EAC member countries have decided to work together to rid the region of the SALW menace. Tanzania, which has suffered greatly as a result of small arms smuggled into the country, stands to benefit a lot from the campaign.
In addition to tightening security along their common frontiers to prevent the cross-border smuggling of SALW, the EAC member states should also step up efforts to track down and impound all illegally owned small arms within their borders.This is crucial because security and peace are prerequisites in the regional integration process.
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