Tue Dec 23 15:52:01 UTC 2025: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Kozhikode Schools Lag on Safety Tech, Raising Concerns
KOZHIKODE, INDIA – December 23, 2025 – Despite repeated directives from the State Transport Authority (STA) and the Education Department, numerous schools in the Kozhikode district have failed to install mandatory CCTV cameras and GPS devices in their school buses. This negligence, highlighted in a report by The Hindu e-Paper, raises serious safety concerns for student transportation.
The authorities had mandated schools to install the surveillance systems by the end of the first academic term. However, as the second term concludes, many schools across government, aided, unaided, and private sectors remain non-compliant. The Motor Vehicles Department (MVD) previously granted fitness clearances based on school undertakings to install the cameras, but none have followed through on their commitments.
According to MVD sources, fitness certificates will only be issued to vehicles equipped with the required surveillance cameras starting next academic year. Earlier this year, approximately 20 out of 200 school buses in Kozhikode city were denied fitness certificates for lacking GPS devices, a key component of the revised safety guidelines.
The State government had decreed that surveillance cameras be mandatory in all school buses from April 1, 2025, a decision backed by the STA. Each bus is expected to have at least three cameras: one facing the road, one inside the passenger compartment, and one facing the rear.
A functionary of a Parent Teacher Association points out that the initiative, born from a High Court order and Transport Commissioner’s instructions, aims to enhance student safety following tragic accidents and incidents on buses. Yet, the MVD and police have not actively enforced the directive.
Furthermore, the district’s proposed GPS-enabled tracking system for approximately 700 school buses, initiated nearly a decade ago with the launch of the “Vidhya Vahan” Android application, remains stalled. Many schools have yet to input student details and vehicle information required for the service. Some school managers cite technical issues related to establishing a dedicated server as reasons for the delay, even for government schools with available funds.
The failure to implement these safety measures is a cause for concern, especially considering some schools have reportedly increased bus fees, citing the cost of installing the surveillance systems. The MVD has warned that from the next academic year, fitness certificates will only be issued to vehicles fitted with mandatory surveillance cameras.
First Piper 