Waad Al-Ahmari’s mother is a computer teacher in the school and was shocked to see her daughter collapse and die before her eyes.
The mother said Waad, 14, was suffering from a viral heart disease, but doctors had assured her that the girl’s condition was improving.
Principal Aftan said when the Red Crescent failed to arrive on time, the mother and one of the women employees took the girl to a nearby health center, which was not equipped to deal with the case. The girl was then taken to the Saudi German Hospital, but she died on the way.
“Students and teachers of the school are overwhelmed with grief. Waad’s classmates were not able to return to their class, so we shifted them to another room,” the principal said.
She called on the Education Ministry to provide the school with an oxygen cylinder, first-aid equipment and a nurse to deal with emergency cases.
The school has more than 600 girls on its rolls and most of the classrooms are overcrowded. “The school is housed in a dilapidated building. The director of education in the region has promised to shift the school to a new building, but nothing has happened so far,” Aftan said.
