JEDDAH: Studies will start at more than 30,000 secondary and intermediate schools across the Kingdom today amid growing concern among students and parents about a possible swine flu outbreak and schools’ readiness to confront it.

Education Minister Prince Faisal bin Abdullah bin Muhammad said Friday that school authorities have taken adequate measures to protect students against swine flu.

In a message to students and teachers on the occasion of the new academic year, he announced plans to begin a number of educational development projects this year.

“These projects include the launch of a prize for educational excellence,” he said. He highlighted the government’s efforts to improve the country’s educational standard, adding that it allocates about 20 percent of the national budget for education and manpower training.

He urged teachers to work with the spirit of one team in order to build the future generation. “The King Abdullah Educational Development Project aims at enhancing your capabilities and expertise in order to bring about a qualitative improvement in our educational system,” he said.

The minister urged students to make use of the facilities and opportunities extended by the government to enhance their education. “We’ll introduce science and mathematics in primary, intermediate and secondary levels this year,” he said, adding that qualified teachers have been appointed for the purpose.

The Ministry of Education has insisted that parents’ permission would be sought before giving vaccine to their children against H1N1 virus.

Abdul Kareem Al-Asqa, a consultant for contagious diseases, allayed the fears of parents on the negative effect of the vaccine.

“This vaccine is the best available today to treat swine flu and will be distributed all over the world. There is nothing to worry about it,” Al-Jazirah Arabic daily quoted Al-Asqa as saying.

Dr. Abdul Rahman Al-Atram, a psychiatrist, cautioned parents against frightening children about swine flu. “We should not exaggerate matters because it will have negative impact,” he said and called for a balanced approach.

The ministries of health and education have trained 66,000 teachers in addition to school health officials on how to deal with swine flu cases. These teachers will train 450,000 teachers in different provinces of the country. As part of its efforts to enlighten students and teachers about swine flu, the Ministry of Education has launched a website on the Internet. All schools have been linked with health centers.

Schools are also provided with cleaning materials, detergents and special devices to calculate temperature of children who suffer from fever, which is one of the symptoms of swine flu.

The Ministry of Education has published more than 20 million copies of pamphlets to enlighten students and teachers on swine flu. It has also prepared a documentary film and a cartoon film as well as a radio program, explaining how to deal with the disease.

Schools in all provinces of the Kingdom have taken extra precautions against swine flu. The Education Department in the Riyadh province alone has purchased materials worth SR4 million to deal with the disease.

Abdul Kareem Al-Nasser, purchase manager at the department, said they have bought 1,000 temperature-detecting devices, 4,000 gallons of detergents, 12,000 tissue paper boxes, 6,000 dustbins, 12,000 gallons of liquid soap and 29,500 masks. But many parents have expressed their doubts about the readiness of schools to deal with swine flu epidemic. Thousands of schools are still running in rented buildings and most of them cannot ensure adequate cleanliness, one of the requirements to contain the disease. “Most government schools do not comply with health conditions,” Zaid Al-Shammary, said a parent.

— With input from Muhammad Humaidan