Less than 8% of driving schools make the cut: RTO
Of 1,241 Institutes Graded In State, Only 93 Got An A ………..Roana Maria Costa
Mumbai: This may come as a shocker to parents who have entrusted their kids to driving schools without thinking it necessary to check credentials. Of the 1,241 driving schools assessed in Maharashtra, only 93 have been found to offer proper facilities and good service. What’s worse, only 26 of Mumbai’s 272 schools—barely 10%— made the cut, while in Pune, only seven of the 139 schools fell in the A category.
The RTO on Tuesday informed the TOI about the findings after completing a major part of its exercise of grading driving schools in a bid to improve the system and decrease road accidents. This is the first time driving schools are being graded in this manner in the state.
State transport commissioner Deepak Kapoor said 85% of all applicants for licences go through these schools. After p re l i m i n a r y meetings with the 45 RTOs in the state as well as with representatives of the schools, it was decided to formulate a grading system to improve standards.
Kapoor said of the 1,444 schools across the state, 1,241 have been graded. The grading system is based on 100 marks. Twenty points are allocated for the classroom, library and furniture, and another 20 for the actual vehicle used on road to teach the student. Twenty-five marks are allotted for the trainer, who must have passed Std X and should have at least five years’ experience. The syllabus carries another 25 marks. The remaining 10 points are for records maintained by the institute.
From May 1, inspectors checked out schools personally. A school got an A grade if it scored above 75 marks, a B grade for 60 to 75 marks, a C for 50 to 60 marks, and a D for anything less than 60.
D-graders could lose their licences if they do not gear up and upgrade within a month. All schools will be graded, and will get a second chance to put up a new board by September 30. Schools which have been graded are expected to put up the board in three weeks.
“Generally, parents enrol their kids at the nearest driving school, but now they will know what they’re getting,’’ Kapoor said. He said most drivers in Mumbai and Pune get their licences between 22 and 24 years of age.