Friday 19 / April / 2024
Muscat: The Ministry of Education has terminated its contract with a school bus operator after a child died on board the bus on Thursday, as a result of being forgotten by the driver.
In a statement the Ministry of Education said: “In light of what is being circulated about measures taken by the ministry following the death of a child in a bus at Al Hadhara School for Basic Education in Muscat Governorate, the ministry would like to inform everyone concerned that it has terminated its contract with the operator, which includes the driver’s obligation to bus security and safety procedures.”
“The ministry has issued many circulars in this regard, which obligate the bus driver to ensure that there are no students on board the bus before disembarking, to keep some of the windows open, and to ensure that there are no students in the road after they have been dropped off, in order to avoid similar such incidents,” it added.
Safety and security
Read here: 8-year-old dies after being left in Oman school bus
The Ministry of Education called on school bus owners and drivers to abide by the safety and security measures adopted in this regard, in the interest of the safety of students.
Meanwhile, Oman Liquefied Natural Gas Company (LNG) has started installing safety devices in school buses in the South Sharqiyah Governorate. According to officials, the new devices cover 269 buses and target at least 1,200 students.
Also read: Focus on bus transport safety as student dies in Oman
In an online statement, LNG said, “For Oman LNG, the safety and security of children are key priorities. Targeting over 12,000 students, the Directorate General of Education in South Sharqiyah Governorate on Sunday began the installation of safety devices in school buses in the governorate.”
“These novel devices, covering 296 buses in the South Sharqiyah Governorate, will include a GPS tracker, a controller to start and stop the bus, and a motion detection alarm system in case a student is left inside the bus,” it added.
