JEDDAH, 27 May 2004 — While schoolgirls and their parents are preparing for final exams next week, many of them are also worried about the conditions of their schools. They are considering where they will go to school next year.
A major concern is building safety. Since the tragedy at the school in Makkah two years ago in which 14 girls died and more than 50 were injured, much has been written and said about what should be done to make girls’ schools safer. Despite the discussions, it seems that little, if any, real progress has been made.
Investigations indicated the reasons for the tragedy were a lack of safety standards in the rented building. More than 5,000 girls’ schools in the Kingdom operate in old rented buildings and many are unsuitable to be used as schools because of small rooms and being more than three stories high without emergency exits or fire alarms.
The Ministry of Education has withdrawn from contracts with the owners of some buildings and, as a temporary solution, has transferred students and faculty to other school buildings which are used in the afternoon as a second shift.
“This has put a strain on my family,” said one teacher. “It is inconvenient because I have to be at school while my children are at home. I don’t think this occurred to the decision-makers or maybe they didn’t care.” Unfortunately, it seems that this will continue for another year or perhaps more. The general perception is that there is a lack of planning and funding in girls’ schools.
Last month, 13 girls in Madinah were injured as a result of a fire caused by an electrical short circuit in a classroom airconditioner. In a girl’s elementary school in Makkah, the principal disconnected the electricity when the fire alarm went off because of a short circuit. The principal has requested several times that emergency exits and a fire escape be installed but no action has been taken. The principal of a girls’ elementary school in Khamis Mushayt evacuated her school when she suspected there a short circuit since she could see the exposed and improperly connected electric wires. She had submitted 10 letters to the Girl’s Education Department in Khamis Mushayt informing them of the problems in the building which was rented for 25 years without either inspections or maintenance.
One positive note about these incidents was that, unlike in the Makkah tragedy, both civil defense and paramedics were at the scene immediately and were able to do their jobs. The Ministry of Education believes that the reason for short circuits in rented buildings is electrical overloading. The Saudi Electricity Company says that many problems are caused by school administrators installing airconditioners without being sure of the building’s electrical capacity.
Electrical short circuits are, however, not the only problem. A classroom ceiling caved in at a girls’ elementary school in Jizan two weeks ago. Fortunately, no one was hurt. The civil defense had determined that the building was unsafe because of many cracks in the walls but it was still in use.
Students at an elementary school in Jubail came back after a weekend to find parts of the ceiling in the building had collapsed. The rented school building is 35 years old, was slotted for demolition and the Girls’ Education Department in the Eastern Province had decided to leave the building but it was still in use.
Another problem is unsafe schoolyards. In a school in south Jeddah, students are afraid of playing outside because of snakes, cockroaches and rats.
For many teachers, parents and students, going to school means endangering family ties, and even, at times, their lives. As the Ministry of Education is the responsible body, it must work to find immediate solutions to all these problems.
