Think ‘traffic’ and a frown appears on any Bengalurean’s face. The pollution and the stress of travelling on the chock-a-block roads of the City day after day are also taking a toll on the young ones in the City. Not only are they stressed, but they are also suffering from respiratory ailments and decreased performance levels. While some are finding alternatives to make the school-going experience less hectic, others continue to battle it out on a daily basis.
Bhushan Belliappa, an eighth grader with Greenwood High International School, says that he used to be stressed out after being on the traffic-choked roads everyday. He used to travel from CV Raman Nagar to Varthur Sarjapur Road and back. “It was a scary and bumpy ride and it seemed like I was in the bus forever.”
Bhushan recently moved to the weekday boarding facility with the school a few months back. Now, he goes home during the weekends and is back in school every Monday morning. “I’m more disciplined now and also have the time for extra-curricular activities like sports. I love basketball and soccer. I now have time for everything I’d like to indulge in,” he adds. Schools like Trio World Academy also have the weekday boarding facility. Naveen KM, managing director, says, “The difference between weekly and hostel boarding is that this facility helps students avoid the travel time (an average of three hours) and spend the same time for studies and sports on the campus.” This concept was implemented last year, seeing the worsening traffic conditions.
“But after we introduced the concept, even students close by have opted for it since it helps them with better utilisation of their time, which is otherwise wasted in travelling,” he says. He adds that such a facility focusses on the overall well-being of students with more time to interact with teachers and time for sports and extra-curricular activities.
There are some institutions which have even had to change their regular routine and activities, thanks to bad traffic. “The traffic affects us a lot. There are students from around the school and areas like Bannerghatta Road and HSR Layout, who study in our school. Many of them use the school bus service. When a bus gets delayed because of traffic blocks, a number of students are affected in the process. Often, they have to start much early from home to get to school on time,” says Lakshmi Rao, Principal, NPS Koramangala. She says those extra-curricular activities that were held after school, earlier, have now been shifted. “Since students do not stay back after school, these activities are now held during regular school hours or on Saturdays.”
Ashwini Patil, a resident of Kalyan Nagar and mother of two school-going kids, says that she is thinking of changing her children’s school because of the traffic situation in the City. Ashwini says, “My children go to a school on Residency Road and the traffic has been tiring them out. Though the school is excellent and is at no fault, a lot of time is wasted in traffic when they are in the school bus. They leave home as early as 6.45 am to reach the school, which starts at 8.15 am. The kids spend almost two hours getting back home. The school disperses at 2.30 pm but they reach home only by 4.30 pm.”
She says that this has been leaving her children tired and affecting their schedule and performance. “The distance also leaves them hungry and exhausted and by the time they reach home, it takes a while for them to recuperate their energy levels.” There is an increasing number of prolonged cough and cold cases and allergies among school-going youngsters, says Dr Ambanna Gowda, Consultant General Physician, Fortis Hospitals, Cunningham Road.
He says, “Recurrent coughs, which do not respond to medicines, and unresolved allergies are an increasing issue now due to increased exposure to pollution. In other cases, we have also noticed fever and loss of appetite. There was a recent case, where a youngster was suffering from depression and in-depth investigations and counselling revealed that she was fatigued by the daily travel from RT Nagar to Whitefield.”
Dr Ambanna adds that lack of concentration and headaches are also on the rise. “We have also seen cases of dehydration and eye-irritation, which can be connected to traffic,” he says.