TRAFFIC SAFETY: Teachers are responsible for student safety education in school, but traffic management and safety should be handled by trained personnel like policeBy Rachel Lin and Jake Chung / Staff reporter, with staff writer請繼續往下閱讀...A coalition of nine education unions yesterday called for a clearer delineation of responsibilities for student traffic safety, saying that teachers should focus on safety guidance and education on school grounds, while police and other trained personnel should assist at public roads and dangerous intersections outside school gates.The call came as elementary and junior-high schools prepare for the start of a new school year on Monday.Teachers are not opposed to helping ensure student safety on their way to and from school, but they neither have the authority to enforce traffic laws nor have they received comprehensive training in traffic enforcement, Formosa Education Union president Kuo Yen-cheng （郭彥成） said.The unions called for a clearer division of professional responsibilities, with teachers primarily responsible for student guidance and safety education within schools and inside school gates, while traffic management and safety at public roads and hazardous intersections should be handled with the assistance of police, volunteer traffic controllers and other appropriate personnel.The Ministry of Education said it has been assessing schools’ actual needs.In a survey on dangerous road sections and intersections surrounding school campuses that require assistance from police or volunteer traffic controllers, the ministry asked schools to identify specific hazardous locations, describe local traffic conditions and specify the assistance required.Schools were also asked to report on coordination with local police precincts, it said.Examples listed in the survey include illegal parking, vehicles making U-turns in front of school gates, heavy traffic, speeding and running red lights.The ministry is also surveying how schools deploy personnel for traffic safety duties to gain a clearer picture of staffing arrangements at individual schools. The list of personnel includes teachers, military training instructors, student affairs personnel, students, parents, volunteers, volunteer traffic controllers and police officers.The ministry is also reviewing the condition of pedestrian routes used by students and improvements to roads and other facilities surrounding school campuses.Yilan County Teachers’ Union president Hsiao Chia-yi （蕭家怡） said that although the central government has begun identifying dangerous intersections, local authorities could still face shortages of funding and personnel.The government’s efforts should not end with completing surveys, but should be followed by the provision of resources based on the needs of individual schools, she said.The union also called for recurring funding for dangerous road sections, as well as additional resources for professional traffic safety personnel, police and volunteer traffic controllers.It further proposed establishing a tracking mechanism covering individual schools and intersections to monitor and improve traffic safety measures.The nine unions said that ensuring students’ safety on their way to and from school is a shared goal.They called for teachers’ traffic safety duties to focus primarily on guidance within school grounds, while education authorities, police agencies and local governments work together to gradually establish a safer and more sustainable system for students commuting to and from school.新聞來源：TAIPEI TIMES
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