|
Abu Dhabi: The Abu Dhabi Educational Zone (ADEZ) report which found that serious lapses on the part of a school caused the death of a four-year-old child on a school bus will be referred to the legal department of the Ministry of Education, a senior official told Gulf News.
"A three-member committee constituted by the ADEZ to investigate the death of the child, found that the Merryland Kindergarten on Muroor Road in Abu Dhabi did not follow the mandatory rules issued by the Ministry of Education for the safety and security of children," said Mohammad Salem Al Daheri, Director of Abu Dhabi Educational Zone.
Aatish Shabin, was found dead last Thursday, he had been left locked inside his school bus in the morning for about three hours.
A supervisor from the school should have checked the bus, but it was not done, the committee found.
"Moreover, if a child does not arrive at school, school staff have to inform the parents in the morning, within 15 minutes of taking attendance", said Al Daheri.
If the school had informed the parents, Aatish's life would have been saved, he added.
The committee found serious negligence on the part of the driver.
"He had to thoroughly check the bus before closing the doors."
After ensuring that no children are left behind, the driver had to put a board behind the bus stating that 'it is empty'.
Such measures were not followed in this case, said the official.
The police may also consider this report for further investigation, said Al Daheri.
An initial police investigation had suggested that the driver and attendant were not paying enough attention, an official had told Gulf News.
The police said that a medical report confirmed that Aatish did not suffocate and mentioned the boy was unwell. Based on the report, the prosecution granted bail to the driver who was arrested and called off the search for the bus conductor who disappeared after the incident.
Merryland Kindergarten Management in a statement issued to Gulf News had said the school did not provide transport.
"It has been the school's policy that we take the children from their drivers and attendants at the gate. We will rarely know the situation inside the bus and who is on the bus and who is not," said the statement.
The last rites for Aatish were conducted on Sunday evening in Mumbai in the presence of relatives and friends. Aatish's body was flown to Mumbai on Sunday morning from Abu Dhabi.
Earlier Aatish had been living in Mumbai with his grandparents because his parents were busy with their jobs. He reached Abu Dhabi with his grandfather to join his parents on March 27. His grandmother was to join them soon to celebrate his fourth birthday on May 2.
|
