Traffic Chief calls for tougher actions to protect school children at minibus parks

– advocates for continued collaboration with MoE

As schoolchildren across Guyana navigate bustling minibus parks on their daily commutes, Traffic Chief, Senior Superintendent Mahendra Singh, has raised urgent concerns over their safety and wellbeing.
Having received reports of students gathering unsupervised, and recognising the potential risks they face while “liming” at these busy locations, Singh is calling for continued vigilance and stronger collaboration between stakeholders — the police, and the Education Ministry – in order to safeguard students against negative influences and potential dangers.
The Traffic Chief has outlined that while many students use minibuses to commute home, crowded parks can become environments where children are vulnerable to deviant behaviours and peer pressure.

“When they go to these parks and congregate and engage with other adults and young adults…you know what happens?” Singh asked as he emphasized the risks involved. He stressed that students gathered at parks without supervision can easily become targets for negative influences, or find themselves in potentially dangerous situations. To combat these issues, he said, the Guyana Police Force (GPF) will intensify its efforts, in partnership with the Education Ministry and alongside traffic officers who have been actively overseeing children’s safety at bus parks, especially during morning hours, when students are heading to school.
This latest call for action comes against a backdrop of past incidents. In 2020, the Ministry of Education’s Welfare Department took decisive steps to address similar issues by organizing a truancy campaign to address student loitering at bus parks. Over 200 children were found loitering and were ushered directly onto buses to get to school on time.
At the time, MoE Welfare Officer Gillian Vyphuis had underscored the importance of curbing loitering, explaining that such unsupervised gatherings often resulted in students arriving late to school. She had called on parents to encourage their children to attend school punctually, and had warned that repeated lateness could lead to students being reassigned to schools closer to their residences in order to ensure their attendance at school.

The Traffic Chief has pointed out that the joint effort being contemplated is essential to prevent situations in which students linger unnecessarily and are exposed to risky influences.
“As far as any demand is made of us [the Police Force] to support it, we are always available and ready,” Singh affirmed, noting that traffic officers are committed to stepping in wherever necessary to protect young people.
Singh also addressed the GPF’s proactive stance, explaining that police officers often work independently to oversee bus parks, even when education officers are not present.
“We do engage [in these efforts] even when the stakeholder partner in the equation does not show up, or request or come for us to go as far as we can. We do it on our own because it’s necessary,” he explained, highlighting the dedication of traffic officers to ensuring students’ safety at all times.
While Singh praised the ongoing collaboration with the Ministry of Education, he stressed that parents, educators, and community members also play a crucial role in safeguarding children from the potential hazards of unsupervised environments. He urged parents to have open conversations with their children about the importance of heading home immediately after school, and avoiding unnecessary loitering at busy public areas like minibus parks.
“Schoolchildren loitering at these locations often become easy targets,” Singh explained, noting that these unsupervised environments can lead to incidents that compromise their safety. He encouraged parents and guardians to communicate with their children and reinforce the importance of making safe choices on their commute.
With the school year in full swing, Singh’s appeal serves as a reminder of the need for vigilance and collective responsibility to ensure the safety and welfare of schoolchildren.