Parents and schools equally responsible for pupils' deaths

Sharjah: Parents and educationists have blamed both parents and schools for the deaths of children in the parking lots of private schools.

"Both parents and schools are responsible for such tragic incidents," said an educationist from Sharjah.

Ebrahim Al Naqbi, owner and chairman of a national private school, said if such incidents happened on the school premises the full responsibility is on the shoulders of the school management.

"But if the incident occurs outside the school then the blame is shared by the school, the parents and the careless driver who caused the accident."

He said sometimes some "stubborn parents insist that their children should wait outside the school when they come to pick them up."

Al Naqbi urged the Ministry of Education to make rules so as to prevent any child from leaving the school and waiting for his/her parents outside the school.

"This condition must be laid down at the time of the admission of any child in any school and parents should sign and agree on that," he said.

He said while the school is responsible for the safety of all students, parents should also cooperate.

Regulation

Wajiha Mohammad, a supervisor from Al Kamal private school in Sharjah, said, "Schools must have a guard and a superviser who should regulate the leaving or coming of pupils to schools."

She said the school must keep an open eye on the children. "Parents send their children to schools and expect that they are in safe hands."

According to Umm Mohammad, a mother of three children who are studying in a private school in Sharjah, said traffic police also should monitor the movement of vehicles near the school areas to prevent such tragic incidents from occurring.

Najlaa Ahmad, another parent, said the ministry and the police should issue rules concerning children leaving from school.

She also said that bus drivers should be well qualified because such incidents are not new.

Run over

"We heard about another incident of a school boy who died after being run over by the bus. The school bus dropped the child near her house and then run her over," said Mohammad Ali Ahmad Ebrahim, another parent.

"I want my children safe in the school. I cannot imagine a parent sending a child to school and getting the news that the child died," he said.

Timeline