Vice President Faisal Naseem formally inaugurated the ‘Road-Safety Campaign’ at a ceremony held this morning at Hiriyaa School. The Minister of Education, Dr Aishath Ali, senior officials from the ministry and students and faculty from Hiriyaa students were also in attendance at the ceremony.
During the event, the Vice President delivered remarks commenting on the singular importance of this campaign and the beneficial outcomes it would yield in terms of reducing road accidents, while simultaneously mitigating safety hazards and irresponsible behaviour in public spaces. The Vice President emphasized that the majority of accidents and injuries occur because of individual neglect and carelessness and that all citizens have a responsibility to more rigorously adhere to safety rules and protocols for societal welfare.
He noted that the role of educators go beyond just the classrooms, and praised the 'Road-safety Campaign' initiated today as an important milestone to this effect. The Vice President recognized the work of teachers and educators in imparting the message of societal unity to students and the youth of the country and extended heartfelt gratitude to them on behalf of himself and Maldivian citizens.
The ‘Road Safety Awareness Campaign’ is intended to be part a long term effort, the 'National Road Safety Action Plan' initiated by this administration to raise awareness about following traffic rules and regulations and proper road safety etiquette, thereby reducing the number of accidents and injuries.
Due to the pace of urbanization in Male’ and the high population density in the capital, educating all, especially the young, on following traffic rules and regulations and on the broader issue of road safety is vital. As the country unveils and implements its National Development Plan this administration will address several of the underlying issues which have up until now made our roads and public spaces unsafe, paying special heed, as indicated in the Vice President’s remarks, to city environments such as Male’, Addu and Fuvahmulak.
