Sixty owners and heads of driving schools in the country, yesterday, started three-day training in managerial and road safety standards, with a call to fight corruption, which is at times reported in driving schools.
The Deputy Inspector General of Police, Stanley Nsabimana, while officially opening the course at the police headquarters in Kacyiru, observed that some driving license seekers bribe heads or employees of driving schools to either facilitate them pass the tests or register them for the tests without going through normal procedures.
Normally, anyone enrolled in a driving school is supposed to undergo 30 days of training.
There have been reports that some of the candidates don’t attend such lessons and tend to bribe some people within driving schools, to register them for the tests.
Some driving license seekers have since been arrested for either trying to bribe police officers or owners and heads of driving schools.
The training, the first of its kind in the last seven years, comes at the time when police is strengthening measures to combat road traffic accidents, which claim about 380 people every year.
“Driving schools play a big role in ensuring road security. Such training will therefore aid the two parties – driving schools and police – to accomplish their duties in curbing down accidents and enforcing road safety,” Nsabimana stated.
“Fighting corruption will further improve on the quality of services and produce quality students with skills and knowledge on traffic rules. It – fighting corruption – should therefore be among the lessons you offer to your students,” he added.
During the three-day course, participants, who are from the 67 driving schools in the country, will exhaust areas such as public transport policy, road safety and on how to fight corruption.
Other topics will include ethics, services each school should offer (service delivery) and the review of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).
Celestin Rwiyamira, the owner of Midland driving school in Kigali commended the police for organizing the training noting that it will update them on the road safety standards.
“We last had such course in 2005. It is essential to have such courses periodically to acquire more knowledge and skills in road safety to pass over to our students,” Rwiyamira noted.
“Corruption is also another thing driving schools should fight by all means because it puts the lives of people in jeopardy since some drivers acquire license illegally without skills, knowledge about traffic rules, thus resulting into accidents,” Rwiyamira added.
Julienne Uwanziga of Youth driving school in Huye District said this is an “opportunity for us to improve on the quality of our services.”
According to Uwanziga, the 30 days training are not enough to produce students with knowledge and experience on road safety standards, thus the need for more days.
Supt Theos Badege, the Commissioner for Public Relations and Community Policing (PR&CP) Department, observed that driving schools “hold a huge responsibility” in preventing road accidents.
He noted that the training will help produce drivers with codes and conducts such as respect and dignity.
Badege also disclosed that such courses will be passed over to other institutions such as private security companies, to improve on the quality of services.
RNP
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