Student suicide: School denies responsibility

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The authorities of the Holy Angels’ School, in a press meet here, denied that Praveen Kumar, who allegedly molested an eighth standard student who later committed suicide, was the authorised driver of the school transport. He was running a private van which carried students to schools."So far, none of the drivers appointed by the school have been accused of misconduct,’’ said Sister Phyllis who is in-charge of the Higher Secondary section.The school, with around 4,500 students, at present owns six school buses. The buses run two trips daily in the morning and afternoon. Major roads in the city are covered in this manner. "It is the parents who decide whether to send their children in the school bus or not. Some people rely on private transport depending on their convenience and accessibility. The school authorities do not have any responsibility over them,’’ said D Jayakumar, president of the Parent Teacher Association of the school.The school authorities also expressed their concern over the way a section of the media reported the suicide. "The accused was incorrectly described as the driver of the school bus and the visuals of the school and school buses lined up outside the school premises were shown. This has created a blot on the reputation of the 130-year-old school,’’ said Sister Angel Thomas, Principal of Holy Angels Higher Secondary school.The bus drivers appointed by the school are retired hands and well-experienced in their job and can be taken into trust, the Principal said.