Mumbai: School assures action after bus attendant loses 3-year-old

The Green Acres Academy will form a committee to oversee student transport services

Three-year-old Anushi Jain, who got lost in Kurla on Tuesday after the schoolbus attendant forgot her, will once again start going to school from today. This time, however, her mother will accompany her on the bus. mid-day had reported yesterday how the nursery student from Green Acres school, Chembur, was found lost in Kurla. She had fallen asleep on the bus and the attendant had forgotten to wake her up when they reached the school. There was great furore among several parents upon hearing that the school management, instead of swinging into action, left the matter to the parents. Anushi was so traumatised byt he incident, she did not go to school on Wednesday.

The girl's parents, Shweta and Piyush Jain, who had originally planned to file a negligence complaint, decided not to do so on Wednesday. They had a meeting with the school authorities, who assured them of taking all possible steps to ensure the safety of students. According to the parents, the school has not only apologised, but also pledged support to bring positive changes. They are also relieved that the school has allowed Anushi's mother to accompany her to school for a few days, to help her overcome her fear. "Since the school responded positively, we do not want to pursue the complaint any further. Hence, we have decided not to lodge an FIR with the police," said Piyush.

He continued: "The meeting with the school authorities was positive. Not only did they give us an apology letter, but they also listened to our concerns. We have been assured that our concerns will be discussed in the next meeting of the Parent -Teacher Association (PTA), starting from changing the bus contractor to allowing parents to use other transport services, if they want. Moreover, the school has also expressed that Anushi mother can accompany her to school for a few days, because she has become afraid since the incident on Tuesday."

Rachna Laxminarayanan, principal of The Green Acres Academy, said, "The school has expressed its solidarity and extended its apology for the trauma caused by the negligence of Sai Dutta Bus Services. We've made the bus service optional for parents, and are holding a PTA meeting to create a committee to oversee the selection and audit of this service. In the meanwhile, the bus vendor has been told to permit parents to ride with students to ensure their peace of mind."

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