Bus driver leaves pupils by Sharjah roadside

Dubai: A school bus driver left about 25 children as young as 4 years old by the side of a road in Sharjah alone when the bus developed problems on Sunday morning.

According to the parents of some of the children and the bus driver, the bus got stuck in the sand en route to International School of Choueifat in Sharjah.

The bus driver then told the children to get off into the sandy dunes near the Industrial Area in Sharjah and left them there while he went to get the bus fixed.

There were no supervisors on the bus.

Zeina Hamdan, 13, who was on the bus with her 9-year old sister Amira and 5-year old brother Abdul Kareem, told Gulf News the driver left two Grade 9 kids to supervise them.

"An then he took off. We waited on our own for about 15 minutes. I wasn't scared (because) I was more worried about the younger children. Some were crying," she said.

Her father, Ashraf Hamdan, said he received a phone call from Zeina at about 7:30 am.

"My second daughter (Amira) was crying all the way, she needed a bathroom," he said.

"I wanted to jump into the car and pick them up but she didn't know where they were. All they could see were sand and construction," he added.

He said he and his wife called the school to report what the driver had done, but the school had no information on the matter.

He then got back on the phone with his children.

"I told them to keep calm and try to calm the other children. We also told them to watch the toddlers, to make sure they did not run onto the road," he said.

After a while, the children reported the bus had returned.

Both he and his wife, Hana Hamdan, along with other parents, are angry the school bus driver left their children alone near the road and that the school did not have supervisors on board.

Hana said they paid a lot of money to the school for, what she described, ‘really bad service."

Hala Tawfik, mother of 6-year old Ahmad, chimed in: "Where was the supervisor? At least if there is a supervisor, he could have waited with the children while the bus driver went to fix the bus."

"How could he leave two 13-year old children in charge? If we left a 13-year old in charge of two to three kids at home, we'd be afraid," she added.

However, the bus driver, Mohammad Arif, denied the children were ever in danger, saying that although he had left them alone, he was never far away from them.

"I was trying to (get) the bus out. I let the children outside but only for five minutes. They were never on the road," he said, adding the bus got stuck in sand while he was trying to beat the traffic congestion.

Gulf News contacted the school seeking comment, but could not get a response despite repeated calls.

According to the Ministry of Education bylaws, private schools that collect transportation fees should be committed to the "transport and protection of students while transporting them from their residence to school and vice versa".

Article 53 also requires supervisors for the children, a male supervisor for male students and a female supervisor for female students.

Are you satisfied with the safety precautions taken by schools? Who do you think bears the responsibility for the safety of pupils? Tell us at letter2editor@gulfnews.com or fill in the form below to send your comments.

As I was reading this article, I really got mad and angry. How could this bus driver leave the children in this hot weather?
Mohamed
Abu Dhabi,UAE
Posted: June 02, 2008, 09:26

It is the responsibility of the school management to ensure that there is a supervisor to help the bus driver in situations like this. The driver should not take all the blame.
Danish
Dubai,UAE
Posted: June 02, 2008, 08:52

The children were just left on their own for half an hour. I don't see any problem with that. That can be part of their education.
Nasser
Dubai,UAE
Posted: June 02, 2008, 08:48

If the allegations made are found to be true, then the driver's actions (starting with the attempt to drive the bus on the sand) are inexcusable. He is not fit to be a school bus driver and should not be allowed to keep his job.
Anita
Abu Dhabi,UAE
Posted: June 02, 2008, 08:43

Strict action should be taken on the school transport department, which failed to provide a supervisor.
Khuzeima
Sharjah,UAE
Posted: June 02, 2008, 08:31

Reading stories such as these frighten me, a working mother. I feel sometimes it is best to tutor my children at home. How can we go to work knowing our children's lives are at risk due to irresponsible bus drivers?
Fernandez
Abu Dhabi,UAE
Posted: June 02, 2008, 08:25

How can they hire someone highly irresponsible? The school should appologise officially.
Sabina
Sharjah,UAE
Posted: June 02, 2008, 08:16

Both of my sons go to kindergarten in the same school. They told me about the incident since their classmates were on the bus. This is totally absurd and shows lack of responsibility on the part of the school management.
Tanveer
Dubai,UAE
Posted: June 02, 2008, 07:52

The school authorities should take responsibility for children who are travelling on their bus.
Santhosh
Abu Dhabi,UAE
Posted: June 02, 2008, 07:48

Such incidents of neglect on the part of school authorities are increasing every day. I have also witnessed school children seated or rather packed into the school bus just the way any stuff is packed for want of space. Very often five kids are forced to sit on a space that can only accommodate three kids.
Ahmed
Sharjah,UAE
Posted: June 02, 2008, 06:58

Did the driver of bus think that the small children were pieces of luggage that can be off loaded and reloaded at his will? The driver needs to be punished for his deeds.
Darpa
Dubai,UAE
Posted: June 02, 2008, 06:39

For the amount of money you pay to live in the UAE these days, you wonder where the value is. You pay for school transport and you get children left at the side of the road. You pay rent and you can't get your water leakage fixed, you don't have anywere to park, and you can't get a decent doctor to properly diagnose an illness.
Joe
Brunswick,USA
Posted: June 02, 2008, 04:38