Sharjah schools to focus on pool safety, pesticides

TRAINING PROGRAMMES TO COVER 116 PRIVATE SCHOOLS BY YEAR END

Swimming pool safety and pesticide use are some of the subjects covered in the second phase of the Sharjah Safe Schools initiative launched by the Safety and Preventative Authority in cooperation with Sharjah Civil Defence and Sharjah Education Council yesterday.

Shaikh Saif bin Mohammad Al Qasimi, director of the Prevention and Safety Authority attended yesterday’s press conference at the Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority (SCTDA) to launch the second phase of the Sharjah Safe Schools Initiative.

Ali Al Housani, director of Sharjah Special Education Authority, Civil Defence officers and principals were present.

Cases in point

The development follows the case of a four-year-old Emirati boy who drowned in the pool at Sharjah’s Australian International School in November 2018, and the hospitalisation of 23 students and teachers who had been exposed to pesticides at Beaconhouse Al Khaleej International School last month.

In the drowning case, two teachers were convicted of negligence and ordered to pay Dh30,000 each in blood money, while Australian International School was ordered to pay Dh140,000 in blood money.

in the pesticide case, three people have been referred to public prosecution, including two school staff and a pest control company employee.

At the centre of that case will be the fact that pesticides were used on a week night.

Training

The initiative includes 116 schools under the responsibility of the Sharjah Special Education Authority, to provide three training initiatives — first targeting the staff of the Sharjah Education council, second safety officers and officials in schools, and third, awareness of students in all schools.

Training on emergencies has now covered up to 41 schools since the beginning of the year where 4,710 received training, including 4,182 students and 528 school administrators.

By the end of 2020, all 116 private schools in Sharjah will be covered by the initiative.

Around 69 per cent of the schools have already installed smoke detectors, while 31 per cent remain without them.

Pupils have also been left in or hit by their school bus. All of these incidents were addressed.