Richard Huish College student wins iPad for signing up to L lessons

DARIUS Vahdati, a student at Richard Huish College, Taunton, has won an iPad after booking driving lessons with the college’s new driving school.

Darius is one of the first students to be learning to drive with Huish Driving School and was entered into a prize draw when he booked lessons.

The second year student, from Taunton, said: “I feel lucky to have won it as I don’t have one already.

“It will help me with organisation and help me to stop losing things.

“I didn’t believe the e-mail I received at first telling me I had won.”

Learn driving only from 57 government authorised schools

With Delhi witnessing burgeon increase of “unauthorised” driving training institutes in various parts of the capital city, the state administration has issued a list of 57 approved training schools and urged Delhiites to learn “safe” driving from these centres only.

According to a senior transport department official, there has been a rapid increase in the number of driving institutes across the national capital that “ignore” safety of learners and flout traffic rules and norms. The department, so far, does not have the exact figures of such “illegal” driving centres.

It has now identified about 57 training institutes “authorised” driving with valid licence to provide driving courses. “Keeping the safety of learners in mind, we have identified 57 authorised motor driving training schools across the city, and issued a list of such schools having valid licence,” the official said, while urging that people should learn driving only from these authorised schools.

Noting that there have been several cases in the past in which vehicles belonging to illegal driving training schools have been involved in road accidents or have violated traffic rules, the official said that such institutes do not have proper safety arrangements, and trainee drivers could hurt themselves and others while taking lessons. “We have also received complaints that these driving institutes provide training to underage children, which is a very serious safety issue.”

The department has also appealed to the people to inform them if driving training schools are found violating rules and is set to approach the traffic police for tackling such unauthorised driving schools. “We have requested people to inform us if they find any school violating traffic rules or other rules by dialing Helpline no 42-400-400,” the official added.

Two people used driving school to steal over $2.5M in taxpayer money: attorney general

An Education Department employee and a program director at a driving school were indicted Monday for taking the state for a ride by stealing over $2.5 million in a kick-back scheme.

Keisha Relf Davis, 36, who worked as a vocational counselor in a DOE program that offered programs like drivers' education to New Yorkers with disabilities, is accused of perpetrating the fraud with Steven Washington, 68, who worked in Manhattan and Bronx schools.

Washington would allegedly charge students $300 to $500 for a few hours of road training and send their information to Davis. She would then cook the books to show they were trained through the program — receiving some 90 hours of classroom and theoretical training plus lengthy road lessons — prompting the state to reimburse the schools nearly $5,000 for each of the 540 or so students she submitted paperwork for, officials said.

Davis is accused of keeping the cash payments while Washington pocketed 12% of the reimbursements with the rest going to the schools.

“Taking advantage of a government job to steal millions of dollars from New York taxpayers is a shameful violation of the public's trust,” said Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, whose office brought the charges.

The allegedly underhanded duo has been hit with grand larceny and other counts. They can get up to 8 1/3 to 25 years in prison if convicted.

We Attend the Ultimate Driving School

The first thing my instructor says to me with a straight face is that I am about to have as much fun as I possibly can “with [my] clothes on.” He isn’t wrong.

Let me back up just a bit.

South Africa has a hijacking problem (carjacking is called hijacking in South Africa). According to Well Aware, there are 140,000 hijackings and car thefts a year here. The problem is so bad that “Hijacking hotspot” signs have been placed all over the country along the stretches of highway that attract the carjackers.

"It’s usually stretches of highways that are pretty, and people slow down or stop to take pictures," my guide Theo Pieters told me. "But it happens in cities too. Someone tried to hijack me two weeks ago, but I saw them sneaking up behind me and just blasted on the gas."

Driving instructor releases new book to help learners

Debbie Brewer, who lives in Thurlby Way, set up Debs Driving School two years ago.
After seeing a gap in the market and frequently being asked by her pupils to write down the steps of the manoeuvres so they could follow reliable instructions outside of their lessons, she decided to write the book: Step by Step Guide to Manoeuvres.
“I searched the internet and found there was nothing simple for them to learn from out there,” said Debbie, who used to work as a nurse before deciding to follow her dream and become a driving instructor.
“Some people learn by reading, and some are lucky enough to have their own cars so I want them to know they are practising correctly when I’m not in the car with them.”
The book has been tried and tested by Debbie’s pupils who have given her a lot of positive feedback.

Jones New Principal Of Winston Dowdell Academy

Kevin Jones has started the new school year as principal of Winston Dowdell Academy, the school system’s high school alternative school.

Jones – who has been Assistant Principal at East Coweta High School for the past two years – was named by the Board of Education in August to the position.

Jones is a graduate of the University of Georgia, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in education. He earned his master’s degree in educational leadership in special education from Jacksonville State University, and his specialist degree in educational leadership from Lincoln Memorial University in Tennessee.

Jones began his career in 1989, as a special education teacher and coach at Alps Road Middle School, in Athens, Georgia. He also worked as a teacher and coach at Central High School in Carrollton, Temple High School and Douglas County High School, and at Callaway High School in Hogansville, Georgia, where he also served as head baseball coach.


Jones’ administrative career began as the assistant principal of the New Horizons Alternative School in Carrollton, Georgia – a school which he helped open – from 2000 to 2004. He served as an assistant principal of Callaway High School from 2004 to 2007, and then as the school’s Principal from 2007 to 2011.

He also served as the assistant principal of the Hope Academy in LaGrange from 2011-12, before coming to Coweta County Schools as an assistant principal at East Coweta High School in 2012.

During his career, Jones has also served as a social worker with the Burwell Center, as an alcohol and drug prevention counselor (and as a West Georgia RESA workshop leader for alcohol and drug prevention in schools), as a GED instructor with Carroll Technical College (now West Georgia Technical College) and as an adjunct professor at LaGrange College. Jones has also owned and operated the Alliance DUI/Defensive Driving School in Newnan for 21 years.

Jones said that alternative education is his passion, and he is currently working towards his doctorate from Argosy University with that topic as his dissertation.

“Kids can make a mistake, but the question is how quickly they get up from that mistake,” he said. “Effective alternative schools can put students on the right path towards success in school and graduation.”

High standard of driver

George Davies, 12, will now progress to a national final in the 2014 Young Driver Challenge run by Young Driver. He will compete for the title of the UK’s Best Young Driver, aged under 17.

Forty finalists were chosen from more than 350 entries, and will compete at a national final tomorrow (Saturday September 13).

The challenge judged the ability of entrants based on a series of driving skills and manoeuvres, including parallel parking, figures of eight, a turn in the road, steering, judgement and positioning. Entrants also had to complete the Goodyear Driving Academy, an interactive online driving simulator.

George will take part in the 11-13 age category at the final. Up for grabs are prizes including 40 pre- and post-17 driving lessons provided by Goodyear, a Young Driver at School session for them and their classmates and £500 off a car insurance premium from sponsor Admiral.

George, who attends Hailsham Community College, said: “I am delighted to be the highest scorer in our area! I can’t believe it! I have had six Young Driver lessons and I think they will definitely help me be a safer driver when it comes to taking to the road for real. The instructors really help you to understand the responsibilities of driving. I am really looking forward to the final, and am keeping my fingers crossed I am crowned the overall winner! It would be great to let everyone in my class try out a lesson, which is one of the prizes.”s