Boy found dead in school bus at Gateway International School

It was only the second day when the little boy named Le Hoang Long who lived in Cau Giay district started his school life at Gateway International School in Hanoi. He was picked up from home as scheduled and supposed to be dropped off at the school gate to attend his class on Tuesday, August 6.

 Long was nevertheless forgotten in the shuttle bus by both the driver and the supervisor somehow until the afternoon when the driver found the boy lifeless.

The boy’s teachers had not discovered his absence during the day and his parents were only informed of his absence and death in the afternoon, after he was taken to the nearby hospital and declared dead before arriving. 

The cause of his death has not been concluded.

Tran Thi Hong Hanh, chairwoman of Gateway, issued a handwritten statement as saying the form teacher of the boy had notified the school administration system of his absence but the person in charge of informing the parents was on leave that day. The private school will accordingly take all responsibility for the incident.

Cau Giay district police announced at a press conference on August 7 that they are currently working with the Institute of Criminal Sciences, under the Ministry of Public Security, to carry out necessary examinations and investigations to confirm the cause of the death. 

The body has also issued a decision to prosecute the relevant individuals, including the driver and the supervisor, for their role in unintentionally causing the death of the boy.

The private school was said to be thoroughly selected for their child for its international standard and reputable education system in Vietnam.

Tuition fees for elementary classes at Gateway International School start from almost VND120 million ($5,217) a year and that do not include meals, school bus service and out of school hours care facility.

Founded in 2015, Gateway International School is invested and developed by Edufit Education Corporation on the foundation of Sakura Montessori International School. It offers classes from grade 1 to 9, with three campuses Hanoi and Haiphong.

Earlier on in July, Edufit claimed that it received some $34 million from Tokyo-based Toshin Development Co., Ltd. to invest in Gateway International School West Lake in Hanoi’s West Lake area.

According to a press release issued by Takashimaya Company Ltd. and Toshin Development Co., Ltd. on June 25, the real estate arm of Japanese-backed Takashimaya and Vietnam’s educational services provider Edufit will jointly invest in property developer Gateway as well as in school operator Nguon Sang on a total investment of JPY1.3 billion ($11.99 million).

Toshin Developmentwill accordingly work with Edufit to develop a high-quality school (GatewayInternational School West Lake), aimed at making the area more attractive to localcommunities and investors.