April 15 deadline for school van registration

Hemanthi Guruge

National Child Protection Authority (NCPA) chairperson Anoma Dissanayake said that over 4,000 school vans operating within the Western Province had so far been registered. There are many school vans still to be registered.

School van owners in the Western Province must register their vehicles before April 15.

Registration of school vehicles in other provinces will commence on April 18.

The NCPA will also scrutinize the record of all school van drivers to establish that drivers have a spotless police record and responsible persons are entrusted with the task and to follow the guidelines set out by the NCPA.

There are no rules pertaining to transporting schoolchildren and with the commencement of the new system, the NCPA plans to ensure child protection in the school transport sector, she said.