LUCKNOW: The education department of Uttar Pradesh has made police verification of the staff, bus drivers and conductors mandatory for the schools in the state capital here in the wake of the brutal murder of a seven-year-old boy in a school in Gurgaon, Haryana.
"We have issued a circular for police verification of the school staff, bus drivers and conductors as most of the schools did not get the antecedents of the drivers of the school buses, private vans or autorickshaws ferrying the kids verified," District Inspector of Schools (DIoS) Mukesh Kumar Singh told PTI. He said the schools did check the driving licence of the drivers but usually did not scrutinise their past record, which could jeopardise the safety aspects of students.
Taking a serious view of the Gurgaon incident, the education department has also banned the use of smartphones by the drivers and conductors of the Lucknow schools. The schools have also been asked to ensure that sharp objects do not find their way into the vehicles ferrying the students as the class 2 boy of the Gurgaon school was found dead in the school toilet with his throat slit.
The DIoS said drivers and conductors of school vehicles had been barred from using smartphones as on many occasions, they had been found to have shown "objectionable" content to the children. "We have also asked the schools to ensure that sharp- edged objects are not found in the vehicles. This will be ensured through inspection by both the schools and the education department," he added.
The education department has also asked the parents and school authorities to ensure that they do not allow minors to drive the vehicles. It has also appealed to the parents to be cautious at the time of hiring private vans for their wards. "We have sought the support of both the school management and parents for the safe transportation of children to schools," the DIoS said.