UAE | General

Parents blame schools for fatal accidents in car parks

Parents were angry over the death of yet another child in a school in Sharjah, saying that school authorities are to blame over the unnecessary deaths.

  • By Bassma Al Jandaly, Staff Reporter
  • Published: 00:00 May 16, 2007
  • Gulf News

  • Seven-year-old Filipina Shanilla Anita was killed when she was run over by a car inside the school parking area.
  • Image Credit:

Sharjah: Parents were angry over the death of yet another child in a school in Sharjah, saying that school authorities are to blame over the unnecessary deaths.

One parent said he could not imagine what is going in the lives of the parents of the 10 year-old boy who was hit by a car and died at the school's parking lot on Monday.

"You expect your child to be safe in school?" he asked. Najlaa Ahmad, another parent, said that the Ministry of Education and the police should issue rules on how to drop and pick up children from schools.

One supervisor of a school called for security guards at schools to keep a watch over children.

Colonel Rashid Ghreeb Shabaan, Director of Traffic and Licensing Department, said a study is being conducted to curb the increasing number of fatal accidents in schools.

Lt Colonel Abdullah Sultan Mohammad, Head of Traffic section in Sharjah most of the schools park their buses outside the school premises.

"The principal said it is the motorist's fault. But everyone shares the responsibility over this death," he said.

Timeline

2001: Yousuf Firas Zeidan, eight-year-old Lebanese boy, killed after he was run over by a school bus at The International School of Choueifat in Sharjah.

2004: Afsana Mohammad Shajahan, five year-old Indian girl of Al Sa'ad Indian School in Ajman died under the wheels of her school bus.

2004: A five year-old Somali girl was killed under the wheels of her school bus in Ajman

2007: Seven-year-old Filipina Shanilla Anita was killed when she was run over by a car inside the school parking area.

Egyptian boy Khalid Yaser Ali - who was sitting on a kerb inside his school - was hit and killed by a woman who had come to pick up her daughter.

Have your say
Are schools to blame? What measures can be implemented to ensure that such accidents do not recur? Tell us at letter2editor@gulfnews.com or fill in the form below to send your comments.


Your comments


Stricter vigilance is required on students. No vehicles, except school buses, should be allowed to enter the school premises. Students are to be assembled in one place inside the school before boarding the school bus. Students should not be allowed to go alone in the school parking lot searching for their transport. Parents, for the kids who uses own transport, also should park their vehicle at the parking lot and walk up to the school to fetch their kids. Even school staff should not be allowed to drive their vehicles inside the school.
Kallol
Dubai,UAE

The school should not allow the children to wait outside near the parking area. They must be accompanied by an adult to get them inside the school gate and bring them to the car for pick up if they don't go for a bus. I would highly recommend that the school implement the rules and regulations that the children should not be allowed to wait near the parking area and be accompanied by an adult to and fro their transport.
Dennis
Sharjah,UAE

No, its not the fault of the school. If the incident happens within the premises of the school boundary, then school authorities should take the full blame.
Ebrahim
Abu Dhabi,UAE

Cars and other private vehicles should be restricted from entering the school zone and necessary barricades provided at a distance of minimum 500 metres (on all sides)from the entrance of the school gates so that schoolchildren can move safely in the school zone.
Surendra
Dubai,UAE

The school management should be held responsible for these incidents. Necessary arrangements should be taken to ensure that such incidents should not occur again. My personal opinion is this that the bus should approach the main gate if it cannot get in the school premises, so that the students can go directly to school entering the gate instead of roaming in parking lots.
Omar
Dubai,UAE

Careless! That's what both the schools and parents are, but who is to be blamed? Parents, for their haste to drop and pick kids or schools that have to manage 50-60 buses coming in with more than 1000+ children in them? The solution could be to set up a procedure where children should be handed to official security personnel at drop-off points on a restricted side of the school (away from buses and crowd) between a span of 20 minutes before the school starts. Following a simple lined formation, where 2-3 security guards can usher the children safely to the entrance. If the schools cannot dedicate 2-3 guards for this purpose, let's find another school for our kids!
Somaya
Abu Dhabi,UAE

Ridiculous. Parents blame schools for fatal accidents in car parks? The driver alone is to blame for these tragedies. The driver of a vehicle is responsible for the vehicle?s actions and movement. Far too often people don?t accept responsibility for their actions, looking for someone else to take the blame. If you are in the car park of a school, its your duty to drive slowly and carefully, making sure there are no children in your path before proceeding. Only if a child runs into the cars path when its moving is the driver not responsible.
Arcee
Al Ain,UAE

Of course the school is to blame. The teachers should ensure that children are to be picked up from a certain area. Bus drivers are to be blamed, there should be laws that prevent buses from moving around children. It's sad to hear about the increase in fees and where does all the money go? It's not the safety of the children.
Anthony
Brampton,Canada

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