Al-Jazirah

No one can imagine the anxiety, tension and fear that parents feel when their children who have recently been diagnosed as diabetic go to school. They constantly worry about whether their children will be provided with enough care and support at school to enable them to deal with an emergency relating to their condition. They are scared that diabetes might prevent their children from learning. In principle, diabetes should not be a reason to exclude students from learning and educational programs because such children have the same right to learning opportunities as other students.

Do the school principals in our country know how many of their students are diabetic? Do schools have records of the health, social and educational background of their students who are diabetic?

In Canada, schools train a teacher or an administrative staff member to monitor the blood sugar levels of pupils with diabetes. Such children are also trained to give themselves insulin. Schools have all of the medical requirements needed to deal with hyperglycemia and hypoglycemia.

Our schools should insure that those with diabetes have full knowledge of how to deal with their condition and that teachers and staff learn how to help young people with diabetes. Students need to be introduced to healthy eating habits to avoid complications resulting from diabetes.

If pupils with diabetes are not educated about healthy eating habits and lifestyles, they may face problems that negatively influence and perhaps destroy their future. Is the Ministry of Health satisfied with the procedures and precautions that our schools have in place to deal with pupils who have diabetes?