Abu Dhabi: Schools must ensure that all steps are taken to ensure children’s safety from the moment they get on the bus until they return, educators and parents said in the capital today.

This is because human error can lead to a tragedy like Nizaha Aalaa’s death, despite strict regulations implemented by the Abu Dhabi Education Council (Adec) and the Department of Transport (DoT).

One of the most important measures is to notify parents when a child is recorded as absent from school, and this is an act that was neglected in Nizaha’s case, her father, Naseer Ahmad, told Gulf News.

“I did not get any call or message from the school about Nizaha’s absence. The school that her older sister attends, on the other hand, always informs us if she hasn’t turned up for class,” Ahmad said.

“We got the first call from the school only at 12.40pm, informing us that there was an emergency and we should come down,” the distraught father added.

A comment from the school on why the call had not been made to inform the parents, was however not available at the time of going to print.

According to school leaders, the current regulations are stringent, but extra precautions can always be implemented.

“Following Adec regulations, we insist that every parent of a child supposed to be absent is called within the hour. Early intervention can often help avert such incidents, and so no school can safely assume that a child is absent. School-appointed supervisors also check on all buses, including in the back seats and under seats, before they are locked up in the morning,” Peter Lugg, senior education adviser for GEMS schools in Abu Dhabi, told Gulf News.

In addition, GEMS schools distribute cards that children must swipe as they enter the bus. Using this, a list of children who enter the bus is created, and cross-checked.

“Many schools outsource transportation services, but this does not absolve any institution of the responsibility of child safety. There must be a system to double check on vehicles and report absences to parents within minutes of the buses reaching school,” he explained.

Female attendants hired to supervise the buses are also trained by GEMS, Lugg added.

Derek Griffin, principal at the International Community School, said that there is always a possibility of human error.

“The regulations are rigorous, and adequate. But mistakes can occur. So, within half an hour after lessons have begun, supervisors are required to ascertain why a child is absent if he or she has not turned up. Our bus drivers are therefore required to clean up after every run, and check that the vehicle is empty,” he added.

Parents also use their own methods to ensure that children are safe.

“My three daughters go to school together on a private bus, and we insist that they sit together. Our oldest child, who is 12 years old, also has the responsibility to take her siblings off the bus with her,” said J.D., a store manager from India, whoso children are enrolled at an Indian curriculum school in Musaffah.

J.D. too relies on information from the school, especially calls when a child is absent.

“If I have not informed the teacher about the absence beforehand, I tend to get a call about 8am from the school and this is very important,” he said.

Another Indian parent who declined to be named said he goes a step further. He has given both his children basic phones, and he rings them every morning before the start of class to make sure they have reached.