Aliya Abreu
PANAJI
Sanjay School for specially-abled children on Tuesday got its first wheelchair-accessible school bus. The bus, meant only for wheelchair-bound students to travel to school in, is the first-of-its-kind in Goa.
The bus is set to be functional in another couple of days, and has the provision to accommodate up to seven wheelchairs, chairman of Sanjay School Guruprasad Pawaskar told The Goan on Wednesday.
Pawaskar said that the school decided to get a wheelchair-accessible bus when they realised that a lot of wheelchair-bound students were finding it difficult to attend school, and very often dropped out on account of how difficult it was to travel to school.
It was also difficult for parents/attendants to lift wheelchair-bound students and put them in the bus. Further, he said that there was a possibility of students getting hurt while being lifted if they were not being lifted properly. It was very uncomfortable for them to be lifted, and often difficult for them to explain if they were getting hurt.
This bus is designated to pick up wheelchair-bound students from North Goa. If all goes well, the school will also get a wheelchair-accessible bus for South Goa. With this bus, physical intervention to get the student into the bus is not required. There is a ramp that will lift the students in. Further, the wheelchair has adequate locks inside the bus, taking care of the safety aspect. Right now, the drivers are being trained on how to operate the bus.
Pawaskar also said that it was the Rotary Club of Panaji who sponsored the wheelchair-accessible bus. The cost of the bus is Rs 5.5 lakhs, he said.
