Teachers at Makkah school get threats

By Abdulaziz Al-Rubaie and Ashwaq Al-Tuwairqi MAKKAH — A Burmese school has received threats from people in the local neighborhood, causing many teachers to be worried about their safety while at school. Salma Bint Hamza Primary School Principal Jawahir Howsawi said the school, located in Makkah’s Al-Khaldiyah district, had problems with Saudization plans. “I was assigned to the school along with 14 Saudi teachers as part of a plan to Saudize schools run by foreign communities. The parents of the students who are mostly Burmese were not pleased with the Saudization plan,” Howsawi said. She added that she received threats from the mothers of students who were not accepted into the school due to a lack of places. “My car was set on fire by Burmese teenagers. My driver found cigarette residue in the trunk of the car. I reported the incident to the police and to Makkah Education Affairs. The classrooms are extremely crowded with over 60 students in each class,” she said. She added the teachers did not feel safe coming to school every day. “The teachers told me if the threats continue they will not come to school. The directorate should take action to protect us. We are facing constant harassment and vandalism. Teenagers in the neighborhood have thrown rocks into our ventilation system causing it to block,” Howsawi said. The school currently has 420 students, while the capacity of the building is only 200 students. “Some of the students have no chairs and are obliged to sit on the floor,” Howsawi said. Makkah Education Director Talal Al-Raddadi said the directorate received reports of vandalism from the principal of the school. “We received reports that the car of the principal was set on fire. We immediately informed the police who are currently investigating the incident. We took action to control the surplus number of students. The school used to offer classes for boys during the day and for girls in the evening. However, with the increasing number of girls we moved the boys’ section to another building,” Al-Raddadi said. He added that the school currently offers both daytime and evening classes for girls.