Letter to the Interior Minister Thursday, 27 May 2010 06:19

Minister of State for Interior Affairs

State of Qatar

Dear Sir,

Last week, the tragic death of little Sarah Gazdhar rattled the country. There have been heated debates on the death of the four-year-old, who slept off in a bus while going to school and died of severe heat exhaustion (the medical report on the cause of death is not yet public, though) inside the locked vehicle, at various forums and newspapers have widely covered the news and written on related issues.

There has been a near-universal call to the authorities for action against those found responsible for the tragic death. A committee, set up by the Minister of Education and Higher Education as chairman of the Supreme Council of Education is already probing the issue.

We, however, would like to raise this point to you since the Traffic Department comes under your Ministry: What can we do to make school buses safer for our children?

Many countries such as the US, Canada and most European countries insist on special certification for school bus drivers. They have tailor-made training courses for drivers of school buses. In the US state of Oregon, the applicant must possess a valid first aid card which verifies that he has completed at least the Red Cross multimedia course requirements or an equivalent course approved by the American Red Cross Society and the Federal Mining Safety and Health Administration.

Here in Qatar, we have not set any standards, we have no certification requirements for school bus drivers. Anyone with a licence for driving buses can drive a school bus. No special training is needed.

We urge the Ministry of Interior to set standards and procedures for certification of school bus drivers. Before one operates a school bus, he must undergo a training course that should include behaviour and attitude skills, safety and first aid lessons and emergency evacuation procedures. There should also be a standard checklist of do’s and don’ts on and off duty for them.

Some schools might find the cost of hiring qualified bus drivers prohibitive. But at what cost do we sacrifice the safety and well-being of our children?