RIYADH, 19 October 2007 — A female teacher at the Pakistan International School Riyadh (PISR), who has been accused of harassing and beating a 19-year-old student leaving her unconscious and hospitalized for several days, was briefly detained by police on arrival from Pakistan last night.
The teacher was later released on bail as police continue their investigations. The whole case has taken a new twist after the victim, Safia Asif, made a statement to the police in which she accused two teachers of physically and mentally abusing her causing her to also suffer a collarbone fracture.
Safia’s brother in law, Imran Ali, said, “Safia has named Mamoona Ahmed and Zahida Parveen in her statement.” He added that Mamoona was taken into custody at the King Khaled International Airport (KKIA), but later released.
“Safia was beaten by the teachers for nearly three hours and then taken to the top floor of the building where she was dashed against the wall until she became unconscious,” he said. “When she opened her eyes, she found herself in the ICU of Central Somaisi Hospital,” he added. Safia has been in hospital for the last 25 days. “It may take months before Safia returns home or to school,” he added.
Ali also discarded allegations that Safia had attempted suicide, saying that he also does not agree that Safia slipped while playing on a staircase in the school during break time, as claimed by the PISR board of directors.
“The two teachers are responsible for torturing Safia to this extent,” said Ali, adding that he does not intend to speak further as police are currently investigating the case.
Asked about the help extended by the school, Mohammed Asad, chairman of the PISR board of directors, reiterated that the school would render all possible financial help to Safia. The school officials, however, attribute the police complaint to a personal vendetta by a group of parents led by a teacher, who was fired from the school a year ago.
Asad added, “It is better that the case is being investigated by the police, otherwise parents would have raised fingers at us.”
But parents and relatives said that there is more to add to this story of brutality and cruelty. Ali, on his part, said that when Safia regained consciousness in the hospital 24 hours later, her first words were, “don’t beat me ... I don’t want to go to school, never again.”
Safia’s parents have also blamed the school authorities for not providing timely medical care to her daughter, and for delaying her visit to hospital.
They alleged that the school authorities did not immediately call an ambulance but instead asked Safia’s sister to call their parents to inform them of what had happened. Ali added that Safia was punished in this way “for trying to carry some bleach cream for her classmate.”
“We want justice for this innocent girl,” said Ali, who also called on the police and Saudi officials to help the family.
PISR is one of the largest international community schools in the Kingdom and currently has 9,000 students enrolled. Spread over seven different buildings in the Nassriya district, PISR’s classrooms are crammed, dirty and overpopulated.
A group of parents said that gray walls, broken furniture, a lack of proper air-conditioning, poor discipline among students and teachers, and massive irregularities committed by the school officials in the past have turned PISR into a place not conducive for education.
Of late, the PISR was also in the news for a number of financial discrepancies and a large number of fee-defaulters.
