School must remain shut over student’s death in bus: Court

abu dhabi — The Abu Dhabi Cassation Court has upheld the decision of the Abu Dhabi Education Council (Adec) to shut Al Worood Academy Private School following the death of a three-year-old inside a school bus.

In its final ruling on Saturday, the cassation court said that the girl’s death was not an individual incident, but happened due to negligence in adhering to safety measures on the part of the school.

Nizaha Alaa Ahmed, a KG1 pupil, died from heat exhaustion after being locked in the sweltering school bus outside the school campus on October 7, 2014, and the Adec ordered the shut down of the school by the end of August 2015.

Abu Dhabi Misdemeanour Court had in February 2015 handed the Pakistani bus driver and Filipina supervisor three-year jail terms after they were found guilty of negligence in causing the child’s death but they appealed against the sentences.

Both the appeal and cassation courts upheld the first ruling but reduced the jail sentences for the bus driver and supervisor to six months and one year respectively.

The Lebanese school administrator was acquitted of the charge of failing to check student records that day. The school had earlier been fined Dh150,000 but the judge reduced it to Dh50,000.

The appeal court had also cancelled an earlier ruling that revoked the licence of the school by Adec after the school argued that the child’s death happened due to individuals and not the school.

The Adec, however, appealed against the sentence at the Abu Dhabi top court stressing that there were major irregularities in the school’s transportation system. The body also said the decision to revoke the licence was based on a number of legislative acts, in addition to Article No 83 on violating the council rules and regulations, part of the Abu Dhabi Private School Regulations.

According to the Adec, it decided to shut down the Al Worood school due to negligence in adhering to safety and security measures, particularly with regards to the schools transportation system.

But it, however, continued running the school’s financial and administrative affairs until Al Worood shut down in August 2015.

The Court of Cassation last year ruled that the blood money to Nizaha’s family must be shared by the school, its principal, the bus driver and supervisor.

ismail@khaleejtimes.com