By SAM PHIRI –
CHAINAMA Hills Hospital College has created a new curriculum of Behaviour Science for Zambian minibus drivers and conductors.
Chainama Hospital public relations officer George Tafuna said the certificate course, tailored for only drivers and bus conductors affiliated to a new association called Love and Care Drivers Association of Zambia (LCDAZ), was aimed at enhancing professionalism and reverence in the sector.
Mr Tafuna said the college was compelled to partner with the LCDAZ considering numerous cases of alcohol and drug abuse by minibus drivers treated at the health institution.
“We have a lot of cases of drug and alcohol abuse among bus drivers and their conductors. That is why we have established that by giving them a formal training in Behaviour Science, they would know how to handle stresses and relate with other road users and passengers,” he said.
Mr Tafuna also called on the Police and the Road Transport and Safety Agency (RTSA) to partner with the health institution and the new association if most road vices were to be avoided.
LCDAZ executive chairperson Andrew Mutelo said the new curriculum offered by the college was timely as drivers and conductors were considered rude, reckless and brutal persons.
Mr Mutelo said the drivers were major custodians of a lot of lives on the roads, hence they deserved the dignity.
He said so far, about 84 drivers from different bus stations in Lusaka had registered for the two-week Behaviour Science programme at Chainama Hills Hospital Training College.
Chainama is also going to train trainers so that the programme could spread out to all provincial capitals of the country.
“With the training, you will soon start seeing sanity on our roads and we would like to appeal to the Police and RTSA to partner with us so that we can help each other in bringing sanity to the road,” Mr Mutelo said.
He said tags were being made for the buses that would be driven by certificate holders of Behaviour Science training.