Ayed Al-Radadi
Al-Madinah
A little boy suffocated to death in the back of a school bus several months ago. It was a catastrophe, a tragedy that would not have happened if the school had followed proper safety measures. If the school had hired a female supervisor to ensure that each and every child got off the bus, then this tragedy would not have happened in the first place.
On the other hand, shutting the school permanently, punishing 750 students and rendering teachers and employees jobless is unfair because these teachers, employees and students had nothing to do with the death of this little boy. I completely sympathize with his parents and pray that Allah allows them to get through their ordeal. It is always difficult to lose a member of one’s family.
The Ministry of Education decided to close the school because of violations relating to construction and administration. The boy’s death was not the main reason that the school was closed. But why did the ministry discover these violations after the boy’s death? The students and teachers had nothing to do with the violations the school committed, yet they were also punished.
I believe that the rights of students, staff and parents have been violated because of the ministry’s decision, which will affect students and their examination results. A boy died through no fault of his own and students have been punished because of no fault of their own.
The ministry could have taken other alternatives instead of closing the school. It could have appointed new management to run the school until the end of the year instead of jeopardizing the education of other pupils and sending them to different schools which may be at a distance from their homes and where the fees may be high. The decision should have been based on legal grounds and executed in a timely manner. Details of the closure should have been officially published so that the boy’s parents, teachers and employees knew their rights.
Usually, the judiciary takes a few months before issuing such decisions. However, in this case, the ministry chose to issue a hasty decision instead.
