Driving Schools Urge 60-Hour Mandatory Training for License Applicants to Improve Road Safety
The Driving Training School Owners’ Association has called for mandatory 60-hour inclusive training for drivers before issuing driving licenses to ensure quality driver education and reduce road accidents.
On Wednesday, September 24, the association’s convener, Md. Mozammel Haque Chowdhury, submitted a memorandum to Muhammad Fawzul Kabir Khan, Advisor to the Ministry of Road Transport and Bridges, advocating the proposal.
The memorandum stated, “Engaging BRTA-registered driving training schools in this 60-hour training program will enhance drivers’ skills and awareness, thereby reducing road accidents.”
Currently, Bangladesh has 150 BRTA-registered driving training schools, of which 135 are privately operated. These schools employ 300 instructors. According to the association, with infrastructural support, these institutions could train at least 10,000 skilled and safe drivers annually. Additionally, several other schools run by BRTC and BRAC operate training programs in Dhaka and other districts.
The memorandum also highlighted that while discussions have taken place to involve BRAC and BRTC in the training programs, BRAC has only three registered schools in Dhaka and Chittagong, and BRTC operates 10–12 state-sponsored schools. Although BRAC’s schools are funded by foreign grants, they charge a minimum fee of 20,000 taka, making training inaccessible for ordinary drivers.
The association emphasized, “We want to work jointly with the government to ensure road safety through a modern driving training system.”
