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On Sunday morning, some students across Dubai were trapped because of the shortage of school bus drivers, the wheels of the school bus transportation system were affected.
As the students resumed full face-to-face learning from October 3rd, several yellow buses took over Dubai’s roads on Sunday morning. However, due to the shortage of drivers, not all students can take the bus.
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“Excited this morning, but unfortunately, STS was unable to arrange buses for hundreds of students at Gems Our Own English High School,” a frustrated parent wrote on Twitter. “Request @KHDA (Knowledge and Human Development Agency) to allow students to continue distance learning before then.”
GEMS Education in a statement Khaliji Times, Said: “Due to the unprecedented shortage of qualified drivers and support staff, unfortunately, we are unable to provide our usual school transportation services for some students who need this service at our own Dubai English High School (OOD). We are working hard with us Our long-term transportation partner resolves this issue as soon as possible. At the same time, we have introduced staggered transfers as an instant solution to alleviate congestion, and maintain regular contact with all affected families to keep them updated on the situation.”
A few weeks ago, parents were apparently informed of the same situation in a letter and sent further correspondence before school started.
On Sunday, as Dubai School resumed face-to-face courses in the new school year/semester on August 29, the remaining students returned to school after a long gap of one and a half years.
STS Group, one of Dubai’s largest school bus operators, acknowledged this problem. Steve Burnell, Managing Director of School Transport Services said: “Unfortunately, due to the lack of qualified drivers and support staff, we are currently unable to provide all of the GEMS Our Own English High School in Dubai and several other schools in Dubai.
“We notified the affected families of this problem last week and communicated with them again on the weekend. However, yesterday (Sunday) many parents encountered congestion and long delays in OOD. We have already worked with the school to solve this problem. Problems, including staggered transfers from today (Monday) to students who cannot use this bus, etc. At this moment. We hope to provide seats for all students who need our services as soon as possible, but we will not recruit and train new drivers. In the process, we compromised on the high standards of safety. As the situation is resolved, we will continue to inform the family members of all the latest developments, and thank them for their understanding and cooperation.
Transportation companies are scrambling to increase hiring of school bus drivers because many have moved to other jobs during the pandemic. With schools returning to normal to near-normal operations, bus companies in the UAE and around the world are eager to fill vacant driver positions.
All stakeholders are working hard to protect students from shortages through full participation. Schools and transportation companies said that although they are stepping up their efforts to solve this problem, in addition to complying with other regulations, hiring school bus drivers also need to comply with effective service record levels, reliability, and appropriate training and certification.
Who can play truant?
Students can no longer choose distance learning unless they fall into one of the three exception categories outlined by KHDA.
Only students with chronic diseases can continue distance learning, but they must provide a medical report explaining why they cannot go to school. Similarly, students living with high-risk groups who cannot be vaccinated are also exempt.
In addition, anyone who is abroad and cannot return due to international travel restrictions can also choose distance learning, provided that they provide relevant documents to support it.
Nandini Silka
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