Pune:
It's time for anxiety-stricken parents across the city to heave a collective sigh of relief.
School buses across the city will soon be equipped with GPS devices, which will come equipped with three state-of-the-art features that will enable parents to keep tabs on the whereabouts of their children once they have stepped out of home for school.
The first feature is 'geofencing,' which will send an SMS to alert the child's parent when the school bus is nearing the child's residence to pick or drop him or her.
The second feature is 'live tracking', which will allow parents to log on to a web portal and track the movements of the school bus to ensure that their ward has reached school.
The third facility provided by the device is 'speed control' which will inform authorities via a text message if and when the school bus exceeds the designated speed limit of 40 km per hour.
School authorities are also contemplating the installation of other state-of-the-art technologies, one of which is the Radio Frequency Identification Device (RFID), a reading device that has a range of 13.56 mgz, compatible with ultra high frequency (UHF) tags. School kids will each be given a personalised tag.
Each time a student boards or alights from the bus, the attendant sitting on the bus will swipe the card, and the device will immediately dispatch an SMS to the parent, intimating him or her.
Another RFID reader with a range of 80 metres will be placed at the entrance gates of the schools. When a child wishes to enter or leave the school premises, he or she will have to swipe the card past the reader, which in turn will send an SMS instantly to the parents about the child's whereabouts. This device will also provide the school with a record of the child's attendance all year round.
Girish Prasad, proprietor of Cosmicgate Technology Pvt Ltd, is in talks with schools to supply these hi-tech gizmos. Speaking with MiD DAY, he said, "We are still in talks with many schools.
Till date, we have signed contracts with 23 schools to supply GPS devices. Technology is taking over in almost all spheres of life, so why schools should be left behind? After all, safety of our school children is a significant issue.
These devices will help parents to track the whereabouts of their wards, and also keep an eye on the speed at which the vehicles are being driven.
This technology will be extremely helpful for parents during the monsoons, as they can be notified easily if schools are closed due to heavy showers.
More importantly, if anything untoward happens on or to the bus, all that a child has to do is press the emergency button. In an instant, an SMS will be sent to the school authorities or the bus owners."
Anil Garg, Chairman of the School Bus Owners' Association, Mumbai, said, "I will be installing these devices in my school buses to ensure that the children are safe. But the government should ensure that unauthorised private vans, which lack security devices, are not ferrying students."
He added, "It is a bad idea to install speed governors in buses. These devices are built in such a way that if the driver exceeds the speed limit, the bus will get locked automatically. The bus manufacturers will charge at least Rs 50,000 to unlock the doors. The parents will have to cough up these additional costs."
Kavita Sahay, director of Vibgyor High School, said, "We are installing GPS devices in the buses soon. We have also been toying with the idea of installing RFID devices in the school premises. Most of the parents are working, and worry about their child's whereabouts all day. The RFID device will also help us keep track of the students' individual attendances."
Arundhati Chavan, president of the Parents Teachers' Association, Mumbai, said, "The idea is commendable. But is it feasible to keep track of so many kids? It will be an uphill task for the school management.
Another important consideration is cost. Conveyance fees charged by schools will go through the roof if these technologies are installed.
Will parents be able to afford this? Parents who send their schools to elite schools will manage to cough up the hiked fees, but what about middle classes?"
Zohar Golwala, parent of a St Mary's School student, said, "These technological devices will do nothing but burn large holes in the pockets of parents. All we need is an honest and trustworthy bus driver, and a well-serviced bus.
This will account for only 5 per cent of the parent population of the city."
Hermie Crasto, parent of a Ryan International School student, said, "If parents are sending their wards to good schools, they will also be able to cough up the additional expenses for security. The technology will do much to decrease parents' worries."