The school, which has over 500 girls on its roll, is an old two-floor building. It is rented and does not belong to the Ministry of Education. Although the building has been painted from the exterior, teachers say the interior is in poor condition.

On a visit to the school, the school’s principal prevented reporters from touring the building but did not deny the building has its share of problems.

“Problems began following the floods last year,” said one teacher, who asked her name not be published. “In one of the classrooms, the ceiling was in a bad condition and about to collapse. We transferred the girls in that classroom to other classes,” she added.

“The school contacted the Education Department, which sent an engineer who advised the teachers not to use the classroom,” she said.

“Instead of fixing the problem, the building owner painted the ceiling. We’re not using that classroom, which is kept under lock,” she said, adding that the classroom is located in the second floor and should that room collapse then the entire structure would be affected.

Another teacher, who also refused to mention her name, said the major problem they are facing is faulty electric wiring. “In the first week after the midterm vacation, the school alarm went off creating chaos inside the school. We smelled something burning but couldn’t find the source. We contacted the Civil Defense, which inspected the school. They said that the building was badly wired,” she said.

The Civil Defense told an official from the Education Department that the building’s owner should fix the problem.

The owner brought an electrician who fixed the issue and reconnected the alarm. The smell, however, returned the following week and the alarm went off during evening classes for special needs students. The Civil Defense again visited the school and could not find the source of the smell.

The teacher said people get electric shocks when they touch the school’s iron gate.

“The building owner also installed a water tank above the electricity box. Each time it overflows, water enters the electricity box, which poses a potential fire risk. We use a wooden stick to switch off the water pump to avoid getting electrocuted. The school is unfit for students and action needs to be taken,” she said.

The teacher said the school should be closed down until all problems are resolved. “The last thing we want is to see a repeat of the Makkah school fire tragedy,” she said.