Molestation of girl on bus worries Presidium parents

GURGAON: A group of parents staged a protest at Gurgaon’s Presidium School in Sector 51 on Thursday, over alleged security flaws in the school’s transport system.

GURGAON: A group of parents staged a protest at Gurgaon’s Presidium School in Sector 51 on Thursday, over alleged security flaws in the school’s transport system.

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The protest came after the molestation of a four-year-old girl by an attendant inside a school bus came to light.

Around 50 parents reached the school premises to complain about security issues, like teachers not remaining in the bus till the last student got off, replacing buses with SUV vehicles and missing CCTV cameras and GPS systems.

Parents said they had repeatedly informed the school about lapses in the safety of the children, who travelled to and from school everyday, but there was no response.

“In the bus in which my child travels, the teacher gets down before all the kids have been dropped at their bus stops. How safe is my kid in the hands of a conductor and driver? Shouldn’t there be a teacher in-charge ensuring safe commute?” said a parent at the protest.

Parents said on several routes, school buses had been replaced with cars without CCTV cameras or lady attendants or teachers to accompany the children.

“A number of school buses were replaced by SUVs a year back. We only got to know when suddenly instead of the school bus, a Chevrolet Tavera came to pick up my child. My husband wrote to the school about missing CCTV cameras but no one responded,” said another parent.

Parents said the school was violating the Haryana government’s policy for safe transportation -- the Surakshit School Vahan Policy.

Under the policy, school buses should install two CCTV cameras -- one each in the front and rear of the school buses -- with digital video recorded (DVR), monitor and cables to ensure safer transport facility for students.

It must be fitted with a speed governor, and the words, “School Bus”, must be written on the back and front of the vehicle. The school bus should also have a conductor and lady attendant.

“The buses might have lady attendants or CCTV cameras but the cabs do not. Even the teachers do not stay inside the vehicles till all the children have safely reached their home. We cannot trust drivers or conductors to take care of our child. The school needs to ensure that at least one teacher is in the bus until the end,” another parent said.

The school authorities made a list of the issues being faced by parents. They promised swift action but pointed out that installing CCTV cameras in SUVs might not be possible since the cars were not owned by the school.

“Some parents met the principal after reading the news. The parents were assured by the principal that the school is totally equipped and is also taking all the safety measure,” said GS Matharoo, CEO, Presidium Group of Schools.