“The powers delegated to school principals and education administrations make them responsible to provide safety measures in their respective schools.
“Any failure in discharging their duties or negligence on the part of higher departments in granting what a school asked for will be subjected to the ministry’s legal and departmental interrogation. Any erring official will bear the consequences,” the minister said in a press statement on Friday.
The prince instructed the legal and administrative departments of the ministry to take follow-up actions coordinating with the education administration in Jeddah on the basis of the findings of the Civil Defense and the report of the committee under the deputy minister of girls’ education, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
The prince also ordered stern measures against those who failed to discharge their duties.
He instructed that all recommendations and steps taken in the matter should be made public. The minister also ordered thorough review of safety systems in schools, and ministry’s departments and offices including warehouses. He also ordered the evaluation of all public and private school buildings especially the rented facilities.
Reports and recommendations should be submitted to related departments in the ministry in two months, the prince said.
In the meantime any shortcomings found should be repaired, the minister added, while ordering the implementation of regular projects and programs of safety awareness among students, teachers and other staff in all private and public schools in collaboration with Civil Defense in all regions the Kingdom.
The awareness programs will make extra stress on fire and flood situations.
“Its implementation will begin from the second semester of the current school year and will be carried out in every school years in addition to extensive media campaigns as a support to what is being implemented currently,” the prince said.
The prince stressed that his ministry would not spare any effort to achieve safety of students, teachers and other workers.
Two teachers died and 46 injured in the Jeddah School blaze on Saturday.
