Easing parents’ worries, the Omar bin Al Khattab School for the Blind is developing a mobile application for parents to monitor their children’s status as well as access the bus drivers’ details for enhanced safety.
In recent years, some parents lost their children due to negligence and mismanagement on the part of the bus drivers. Children lost their lives when they were either run over by the bus or were left all alone inside a vehicle because the driver simply forgot about them.
Faiza Salem Al Hatali, a Data Entry Clerk, said the app will help parents receive up to date information about a bus’ whereabouts and also help monitor its route.
“A lot of children died in the past because of negligence and it worried parents. Our students face some peculiar issues since they are visually impaired. Hence, we decided to come up with a solution,” said Al Hatali.
A total of 160 students from grades 1-12 commute to the school by bus. Since it is the only school for the blind in Oman, such an application had become necessary for parents. Students from various governorates attend the school.
“The application will help monitor the buses using GPS and we will be able to know if a bus is exceeding the speed limit. We can then notify the administration about such behaviour. Cameras have also been installed in all the buses to monitor the children,” explained Al Hatali.
A five-member team was formed following the tragic news of the death of a child on October 15, 2016. The team was tasked with proposing a solution.
“The application is being developed specifically for the school catering to the blind, but once it is launched, we do not mind sharing this with other schools who want the same thing as we do – our children’s safety,” said Al Hatali.
Parents also voiced their approval of the application.
Mohammad Al Wahaibi said, “I hope all schools follow their lead. Many children die in different schools because of the drivers’ negligence.”
“For the time being, each parent should call the school and make sure that their children are in class and not ‘absent’,”
he added.
The application, sponsored by Oman LNG, will go through three phases of development. The trial phase will begin in February 2017 with two buses and the official launch is set for March.
Source: http://timesofoman.com/article/101106/Oman/New-app-to-keep-tabs-on-visually-impaired-pupils-in-Oman