UAE | General
Father disputes claims that boy was ill
Writes in e-mail from Mumbai that medical records prove Aatish never had a serious illness in his short life
- By Binsal Abdul Kader and Rayeesa Absal, Staff Reporters
- Published: 00:30 May 2, 2008
- Image Credit: Gulf News Archive
- The father of a child who died after being left locked in his school bus has refuted a medical report that the child was unwell.
Abu Dhabi: The father of a child who died after being left locked in his school bus has refuted a medical report that the child was unwell.
"I cannot accept the comment that my child had an 'unknown illness'," said Shabin Sreedharan, father of four-year-old Aatish, in an email to Gulf News from Mumbai where the last rites for the boy were conducted on Sunday.
Aatish was found dead on April 24 after being left locked in the school bus for about three hours in the morning.
"My child was in fact very talkative and playful and never, ever had a major illness in his short life," said Shabin.
"I have his complete medical records to prove this, including his last visit to a doctor on April 21 in a reputed Abu Dhabi hospital where he was treated for a sore throat and ear pain after he came back from school."
The official in charge of investigating the case at Shabiya police station said the medical report stated there was no sign of violence, ruling out any suspicious circumstances.
An autopsy was not performed on Aatish, on request of the boy's family.
Accusing the school, the driver and helper of "gross negligence", Shabin said: "All the children's school bags used to be kept just behind the driver's seat in the 15-seat bus, so that they could keep count of all the kids on board. Still, they failed to notice that my child had been left in the bus."
"To date I have not received my son's favourite 'Spiderman' school bag from either the school or the transport company."
Merryland Kindergarten, the school which Aatish attended, said they were not responsible for the incident as the school does not provide transport. The school management said an external provider introduced by the school provides the transport facility.
Investigation
School's responsibility
A decision on the investigation report into the death of four-year-old Aatish is expected from the Ministry of Education soon, a senior official told Gulf News.
"The Abu Dhabi Educational Zone (ADEZ) has submitted the findings of a three-member committee to the legal department of the Ministry of Education for further action," said Mohammad Salem Al Daheri, Director of the ADEZ.
He told Gulf News on Tuesday the committee found serious lapses on the part of Merryland Kindergarten on Muroor Road that contributed to the death, as the rules issued by Ministry of Education for the safety of children were not followed.
"The Ministry will decide what action should be taken against the school," said Al Daheri.
He said the ministry would step up inspections of schools to ensure they comply with regulations to safeguard children when they are being transported.
"We will take strict action against errant schools," said Al Daheri.
He made it clear that the safety of children during transportation is the responsibility of the schools.
A supervisor appointed by the school has to keep a list of pupils on board and has to notify the school if children are absent. The school also has to inform parents of the absence of children within 15 minutes of taking attendance in the morning, he said. After ensuring that no children were left behind, the driver has to put a board behind the bus stating that "it is empty".
The committee found all such rules were flouted by the kindergarten, which led to the death of the child, said Al Daheri.
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