Saudi schoolteacher dies in classroom

A choolteacher died in front of students at a secondary school in Riyadh after suffering a heart attack, her family said.

The teacher, identified as Shaikha Ateeq, collapsed in the classroom at the school in the Riyadh district of Al Seweidi on Thursday, her father told online newspaper Sabq. “Thank Allah, she died while she was observing [voluntary Islamic] fasting as she used to fast every Thursday and Monday. She also died while undertaking her mission in teaching,” he said.

The new school year began in Saudi Arabia in late August with reintroduction of in-person classes after a suspension of more than a year due to the global coronavirus pandemic.