HAVING a primary school situated close to a busy dual-lane main road pose a safety issue, but learners at Grantham Park Primary School (GPPS) in Empangeni have decided to ‘have each others’ backs’ by forming a scholar patrol that they are ‘extremely proud of”
Nikkie de Kock, who runs the programme at the school, said they needed to ensure learners walking to and from school were safe, and share a general message of road safety among them.
‘According to the Department of Transport, GPPS is the only school in Empangeni that has scholar patrol.
‘Each year children travel to and from school almost 200 times. Dangerous traffic congestion occurs around schools with so many parents dropping their children off in the morning and picking them up after school,’ said De Kock.
‘Scholar patrol performs a very important and responsible public service by controlling traffic and by safeguarding pedestrians.
‘Patrollers guide fellow learners and prevent them from entering traffic when it is unsafe.’
Apart from providing safer access to schools at nearby crossings, De Kock said the programme inspires patrollers to develop positive relationships with peers and authority figures and develop leadership skills, teamwork, maturity and a sense of responsibility.
‘We received our new stop signs, badges, caps and jackets two weeks ago from the Department of Transport.’
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