Cost-saving measures employed by some people in Accra and maybe in other parts of the country may be endangering the lives of their children. Here is a typical case involving about 15 children and a teacher who the Daily Graphic found crammed in a taxicab on their way to school. On the face of it, the children, without doubt, are made to return home by the same means.
By the rule, a taxicab is allowed to carry a maximum of five passengers, including the driver. However, on this occasion, the cab had loaded three times its capacity.
Safety
The situation certainly puts the lives of the schoolchildren, aged two to five, at risk.
The regrettable incident occurred last Friday at Shiabu, a location near Dansoman in Accra.
The cab, with registration number GR 2832 X, allegedly picks up the children and sends them home every school day.
Even in the company of their teacher, likely to be in her mid 20�s, four of the children were jammed into the boot of the taxi with eight of them in the back seat.
There were three other children who joined the teacher in the front seat and the uneasiness and discomfort they felt was written all over their faces.
The teacher, who was approached by this reporter, refused to grant an interview and instead angrily walked away when questioned over the propriety of putting the children in such an uncomfortable situation.
A resident at Shiabu, Madam Doris Amponsah, told the Daily Graphic that every morning, the children converged in front of her drinking spot and were conveyed to school in that fashion.
She also said the taxicab was the regular means of transport that sent them to school and brought them back always �packed like sardine� in the car.
The Daily Graphic followed up the next day to monitor the situation. However, residents living close by where they converge reported that the children and their teacher did not come round as usual.
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