CarToon – India’s first play school on road safety theme

A school is a building block of a child’s life. The good habits are inculcated, right from the beginning. All of us want our children to be good humans and be good with the studies, as well. But who thinks of teaching a kid about the traffic sense and the traffic rules? Afterall, they are the weavers of the future.

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Rise Up is an organization, which works on spreading awareness and education on ‘road safety’ in the state (Jharkhand). The founder of the organization is Mr. Rishabh Anand, and the president of the organisation is Ms. Rajshree. They work through various workshops, in various schools and colleges, different street plays, and the nightlife cycle.

“Gradually, we thought to build up a sustainable model, in the form of a play school, so that, at the foundation stage of a child, we could incorporate traffic rules and sense, that would help them become globally aware citizens”, says Rajshree.

Apart from regular teaching, students at CarToon, get an insight of traffic rules, like lane driving, usage of seat belt and helmet, traffic lights etc, in school premises. They give practical lessons to be a good road user.

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The school is only for kids, to inculcate good habits and safety measures, right from the beginning. For adults, who actually drive and can get into accidents, the Rise Up team is trying to teach them, through counseling, posters, campaigns, exhibitions and audio-video modes.

“We will be inviting kids from other schools too, to make them visualize the process of the traffic system and make them more aware.”

The Rise Up team is in discussion with the government, to help them grow. This is a private institution, helmed by Rise Up. “As far as financial assistance is concerned, no such support has been provided by the government.” It is still being discussed.

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To inculcate traffic sense, they have developed a traffic park in the school premises. The curriculum is same as every other play school, with the only change being ‘an ambiance of road safety’. Guardians and parents are appreciating the idea and taking interest in the change in the school environment.

According to the statistics, “there is one death, in every four minutes, in a road accident, and about 46 children die in road accidents, daily.

The motive of the school is “educating kids, with the life-saving skills.” The vision is “teaching them young, as they are the dreamers and makers of a safer Jharkhand.”

We lost a very knowledgeable professor, Mr. Ashutosh Roy, of St. Xavier’s College, in a road accident on the fateful morning of Friday, 15th of June.

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Usage of helmets and seat belts might not be important for you or be uncomfortable to you, but can save your life, and not cause mishaps and a life full of sorrow, for your family. Stay safe, for your family, if not for yourself. Wear helmets and seatbelts, not to save fine, but for your own safety.