The Council of Education has approved the integration of road safety education into three core subjects—English, Religious and Cultural Studies, and Science Education—across schools in Nigeria.
The decision, made during last month’s council meeting, was announced by Chidiebere Benjamin, Deputy Corps Marshal of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), at the FRSC management retreat in Abuja on Tuesday.
“In the last Council of Education meeting, the decision was taken to include road safety education in three subjects: English, Religious and Cultural Studies, and Science Education,” Benjamin said.
The FRSC is already moving forward with this initiative, having started to develop road safety education books for different school levels. “We are currently writing books for basic primary schools, senior primary schools, and junior secondary schools,” Benjamin explained. He added that the FRSC has deployed Corps members to teach students safety education directly in schools.
“We believe in catching them young,” Benjamin noted. “The Corps members are deployed to schools to teach them, ensuring that students learn proper road culture early.” He stressed that, like the Bible says, “if you teach a child the way they should go, when they are older, they will not depart from it.” This initiative, he said, aims to prevent the mistakes made by previous generations.
Corps Public Education Officer Olusegun Ogungbemide also highlighted the dangers of the Ember Months, which see increased traffic and road accidents. “Ember Months witness high vehicular movement, gridlocks, and road traffic crashes, leading to unnecessary loss of lives and properties,” he said.
In response to these challenges, Corps Marshal Shehu Mohammed has launched the 2024 Ember Months campaign, focusing on public enlightenment and sensitization across the country, including the Federal Capital Territory. The goal is to reduce road traffic fatalities by 5%, enhance traffic flow, improve enforcement of traffic laws, and encourage safe road usage.
“Our efforts are aimed at not just improving road transportation, but also at changing drivers’ behavior to position Nigeria as a safety-conscious nation,” Ogungbemide added. Despite the challenges, these initiatives aim to address road safety issues across the country and protect lives on Nigerian roads.
