School does away with cleaners on buses ferrying kindergarten students

“In buses where older children travel with kindergarten students,if a cleaner cannot be done away with,then he will be strictly instructed to sit next to the driver. The driver and woman attendant will be briefed again that no male can touch any kindergarten and nursery student,” said the school spokesperson

“If parents notice this is not being followed,they can bring it to our notice immediately. Parents are welcome to travel by the bus; in case of space crunch,they can make their child sit in their lap,” said the spokesperson.

“We will send a circular to parents on Wednesday informing them about the action taken. We have also invited suggestions from parents on preventive measures to ensure such incidents are not repeated,” the spokesperson said.

‘CCTVs in buses were temporarily switched off’

“The buses are owned by the school and operated by a contractor. We started installing CCTVs in the 85 buses owned by us in a phased manner from June 2012. At present,85 per cent of the buses have CCTVs. By March,all buses will have CCTVs. We had to temporarily stop CCTV cameras as cleaners were washing them with water. It was decided that cleaners will be trained before installing cameras in the remaining buses. The bus in which the incident happened was in line for installation post the training programme,” the spokesperson said.

Suggestions for parents

The school has urged parents to be more vigilant and made the following suggestions:

n If your child shows behaviour,action,words that are different please question your child and bring it to our notice.

n Regular talk with your child about what he or she does in school and in the bus will help you understand if something is wrong. Report this to the school immediately.