Learners who were competing for first position in the Mpumalanga Provincial Participatory Educational Techniques (PET) Competition have called for an incorporation of Road Safety Education in to the school’s curriculum as it will enhance road safety.
They argued that road crashes will be reduced and safety will be improved if knowledge on road safety and road regulations gets instilled to them from a younger age and on regular basis.
Four secondary schools represented by five learners from Ehlanzeni Region, Nkangala Region, Gert Sibande Region and Bohlabela competed for the top spot which earned them a place at the national finals that will be held in North West Province next month. The schools were selected from Regional Competitions where schools from different circuits competed.
This year, the province will be represented by DM Motsaosele Secondary School from Nkangala Region and Lugebhuta Secondary School from Ehlanzeni Region in the national competition under the Rural and Urban Category respectively.
The PET which is hosted by the Department of Community Safety, Security and Liaison in the province is a programme aimed at changing learners’ attitudes towards road safety by means of participatory education. It also encourages them to identify road safety challenges in their communities and to find solutions by way of research to the problems thereby providing them with a hands-on opportunity in resolving those challenges. With the programme, Grade 10 and 11 learners identify road safety hazards in areas where they live, and come up with research based solutions.
Through their presentations, they mentioned that government needs to improve on road maintenance, visible policing and law enforcement. They said that roads need to be maintained regularly by patching potholes, putting road signage where there is none, and installing speed calming measures in townships.
They also said that drunk driving was also another huge contributory to road crashes, adding that traffic officers need to have enough resources such as breathalysers and be able to work at night as drinking and driving happed mostly at night.
Sandile Sibeko a learner from the DM Motsaosele Secondary School team added that government needs to invest more on educating road users as road safety was more about individual behavior.
“Traffic officers cannot control people’s behavior and we as road users need to meet government halfway in this fight against road carnage by obeying the rules of the road and report those who disobey. This platform has provided us with more knowledge that we need to go back and share with fellow learners and people who live within our communities,” he said.
Speaking on behalf of the Mpumalanga Department of Community Safety, Security and Liaison Mr. Mzamani Vuma said that the competition should be a learning platform to young people about the importance of road safety. He said that the department is concerned about the road crashes especially those involving young people who drive without licenses and those who drink and drive.
“This is a very good platform to warn young people who steal or take their parents’ vehicles and drive them without licenses and also instill responsibility so that when they buy cars, they know what is expected,” he said.
He further called on the learners to continue to have the engagements on road safety with other fellow learners and also report those who break the law to the authorities.
Ends...
Enquiries: Joseph Mabuza
Tel: 013 766 1577
Mobile: 082 678 1450
E-mail: emabuza@mpg.gov.za