Will check if parents have 2 helmets at dispersal: Kolkata School’s new norm after student’s death
Times of India | 14 November 2024
123 Kolkata: Day after 11-year-old Ayush Paik died in a road accident while travelling back home on his mother's scooter, the school where he studied — Vaishno Devi Academy — on Wednesday made it mandatory for parents coming to pick their children up from the school on two-wheelers to carry two helmets along with them. Moreover, the school will now check whether such parents are carrying two helmets or not at the time of dispersal.
The school has also issued a notice to the parents in this regard. The school principal, Barnali Ghosh, said, "We conducted a special assembly in his (Ayush) memory where we told children to follow traffic rules while on the road and to always wear a helmet when travelling by bike, scooter, or even cycle for their own safety." Ghosh said, "We received a letter from the Bidhannagar Police that told us to sensitise children about the need to wear helmets."
The school also cancelled its Children's Day programme scheduled on Thursday and declared it to be a holiday in memory of Ayush. During the morning assembly, a minute of silence was observed.
Four members, including the school principal, went to meet the mourning family on Wednesday afternoon and spoke to Ayush's elder brother, Ishan. "We are concerned about Ishan, who is now in Class IX, and his annual tests will start from Nov 21. It's difficult for him to concentrate on studies due to the present condition of his family. We assured him to provide every support he needs. We spoke to his mother also, but she was very upset and still in trauma," added Ghosh.
Ghosh stated that some Class IX students went to Ishan's house on Wednesday night and they also skipped having their tiffins as the bad news had reached them during the tiffin break last day.
Speaking to TOI, Ashok Chakraborty, a governing body member, said, "There should be stringent rules and regulations against speeding and overtaking. A govt hospital should be more sympathetic when dealing with such severe cases." Many students and parents flocked in front of a garlanded photo of the child placed outside the school. Many parents expressed their anger against police and how the govt hospital treated a lone mother roaming from one hospital to another to save her child's life.