The Ministry of Education (MoE) has urged government and private schools to report fatal accidents within 24 hours
Following large number of accidents involving school students, the Ministry of Education (MoE) in coordination with education zones in northern emirates, has urged government and private schools to report fatal accidents to MoE within 24 hours. The ministry has also advised the schools to report any serious accident within three days from the time of the occurrence.
An MoE official said that the objective of reporting such accidents is investigating the cause of the accident and finding ways to prevent it in future.
The ministry also urged schools' staff to report accidents or any kind of dangerous activities that threaten student's safety and security in education institutions. The official asked school managements to take lessons from recent accidents and not repeat those mistakes. The MoE in its circulars, distributed to all Sharjah schools (which Khaleej Times has a copy of), defined the type of accidents and the injuries that the schools needed to report to the ministry.
The school must report accidents that cause coma, head, spinal and eye injuries, as well as inhaling of poisonous gas material, electrocution, burns due to fire or explosion.
The circular also stated that the school management must also report any partial collapse of the school building, or any environment pollution or spread of diseases.
The MoE has also asked school managements to form a team to launch immediate investigation in all types of minor and serious accidents to determine the causes. The management also must study and rectify the causes of the accidents to prevent its recurrence.
The investigating team must study the details of the accident and describe its size and seriousness based in the casualties caused by the accidents.
They must listen to eyewitness accounts, gather evidence on the accident site and take pictures of the accident for record.
Parents-speak
Awatif Hamid, whose son is studying in Al Marrifa private school in Sharjah, said that the MoE circular to the schools would help reduce number of accidents involving school kids. " When my son was in grade 6, he hit his head with some solid thing and by the time he came back home his head was swollen. We had to rush him to emergency room, but until now we don't know how the accident happened," he said.
Another parent, Rihab Anas, said that one time her son in grade 8 had fractured his hand and was unable to write his exam. "The school rushed him to the hospital and contacted me, but they couldn't explain how it happened. Later my son told me that his friend fell on him. This kind of accident must be reported to the ministry for investigation to ensure safety of students."
Ali Al Shamsi said that school also must curb any violent fighting among students at the end of the day to prevent them from hurting each other, as most of the injuries at schools are caused by students indulging in physical fights.
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