The school was hit by a devastating fire on Nov. 19, which killed three teachers and injured 52 others, including students.

“The number of applications for enrollment has gone down dramatically,” she said.

The headmistress denied reports that about 50 schoolteachers were sacked and said only 36 teachers were relieved from their posts, because of the small number of students that had applied for registration in the school.

Asked if more schoolteachers stood to lose their jobs, Mattar said she could not decide now, but all possibilities were open. “When the girls return to our school, we will take back all the female teachers who were relieved from their posts,” she said.

Mattar said the teachers had been relieved legally, as their contract clearly stipulated that in case of any drop in the number of students or classrooms, the contract would be terminated.

Director of Girls Education in Jeddah Abdullah Al-Thaqafi said the department strongly supports the sacked schoolteachers and will back them at the labor office and the other government departments.

An official source at the Ministry of Education said all students from Baraim Al-Watan would be accepted in government schools if they wished. He also said a committee of government departments would decide when the school building would be returned to its owner.

Five students of the school confessed to accidentally starting the blaze.

A five-man committee investigating the fire concluded that the five students should be held responsible for the death of the teachers.

Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah ordered that the three teachers who died while trying to save students be awarded posthumously the King Abdul Aziz Medal of the First Order.

The students said they burned some papers in the basement to test out the warning system.