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An unlicensed female bus driver, who was arrested following the death of a four-year-old boy in her vehicle, has admitted to allegations of neglect, according to a Public Prosecution statement yesterday.
On Monday, Hassan Al Mahari had fallen asleep on the morning trip to his kindergarten in Demistan. By the time he was found, he had suffered a severe heatstroke, eventually succumbing to it.
During questioning, the 40-year-old Bahraini driver admitted that she was transporting children to nurseries and schools though she did not have a permit.
She also reportedly admitted to forgetting Hassan inside her vehicle.
According to a statement by the Family and Child Prosecution head, a report had been made by the Northern Hamad Town Police Station about the incident.
After questioning the suspect, the prosecution ordered the release of Hassan’s body to his family for burial. He was laid to rest in Barbar on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, during their weekly session on Tuesday, MPs approved an urgent proposal to direct the Education Ministry to compel all kindergartens and public and private schools to immediately notify parents in the event of their children’s absence from class.
The motion stressed the need for more social supervisors to keep track of students and their well-being, and to create a mechanism so transportation providers can ensure that no child is left behind.
A memorandum accompanying the proposal explained that the main objective of the motion was to strengthen communication between parents, schools and kindergartens, thereby reducing the risk of future tragedies.
The proposal will be urgently reviewed by the Cabinet.
The incident has also renewed calls for stricter regulations surrounding school transport services, particularly those operating without official licences.
The Interior Ministry has urged parents to ensure their children’s safety and to avoid contracting unlicensed drivers who were not authorised to transport children.
Post the tragedy, the ministry also reaffirmed that it continues to conduct awareness and educational campaigns targeting school and kindergarten staff, students and parents to promote student safety in vehicles and around educational facilities.
The GDN previously reported about a similar fatal incident in 2013 involving a five-year-old school pupil.
Rashid Fadhel Buzuhaira was left inside a vehicle for three-and-a-half-hours as temperatures outside reached 40C. He was only discovered at around noon in a weakened state and died on the way to hospital.
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