Unauthorised halt by private buses poses challenge to school

Students, their parents who drop them off, and teachers of the Government Higher Secondary School for Girls, Ernakulam, continue to face inconvenience as private buses stop right in front of the school’s main entrance to pick up and drop off passengers, thereby blocking access to the school.

The school has been grappling with this issue for a long time, despite repeated appeals to bus operators and multiple memorandums submitted to the authorities, including the District Collector, Mayor, councillors, Additional District Magistrate, city traffic police, and the Deputy Commissioner. Buses continue to bypass the designated stop just 50 metres ahead and instead halt directly in front of the school entrance. Recently, a student on a bicycle fell while trying to enter the school by manoeuvring around a bus blocking the gate, parents complained.

A protest organised in front of the school on Monday (June 30, 2025) morning in this connection was called off after the police arrived at the scene and directed the buses to stop at the designated stop. “The two bus shelters at the designated stop are now occupied by stray dogs, while passengers wait in front of the school. Bus operators even remove the barricades placed in front of the school. There is neither a zebra crossing nor a traffic signal in the area. Restricting buses from halting in front of the school during peak school hours — between 8.45 a.m. and 9.15 a.m., and 3 p.m. and 3.30 p.m. — will resolve the problem to a large extent,” said Arun Sekhar, a parent of a Class 7 student who organised the protest.

A similar protest was organised in front of the school by the parent-teacher associations (PTAs) of the higher secondary, high school, upper primary, and lower primary sections on October 10, 2024. The protest followed an accident in which a private bus, allegedly speeding, knocked down a two-wheeler, seriously injuring a high school student—who sustained a fractured hand—and her father, in front of the school.

The protesters were threatened with a police case for laying siege to the road on that occasion, following which PTA-led protests have been subdued. “However, the problem persists despite repeated petitions to all the relevant authorities,” said Sumi Joy Oliapuram, PTA president of the high school and higher secondary sections.