UAE schools need a culture of safety

Sending text messages to the parents of absent pupils should be one of several safety measures in schools

Schools in Abu Dhabi have been ordered to alert parents by text message if their child is absent from a single class. (Sarah Dea / The National)

The new policy of alerting parents when their children are absent from school is certainly a good step towards ensuring that all students will be safe and attend their required classes. The measure follows the tragic death of three-year-old Nizaha Aala, after she was locked in a school bus last month. However, there remains much to do to instil a culture of safety in UAE schools.

As The National reported yesterday, Abu Dhabi Education Council (Adec) has ordered schools to alert parents by text message if their child is absent from even a single class. Even though some schools already have similar policies in place, the practice has not been widespread. The new measure should ensure parents' peace of mind while their children are at school. Knowing that their child is absent from a class will give them the chance to sound the alarm if necessary, possibly averting another tragedy.

However, this measure can only help address the safety issue if parents care about ensuring that their children attend school. In some cases, parents themselves are responsible for their children’s absence. When Nizaha Aalaa died, the school week had been shortened to three days because of the Eid Al Adha holiday, and more than half of the school’s 2,200 pupils did not attend. These pupils were unlikely to have been absent without their parents’ knowledge.

While schools clearly have a duty to keep students safe, parents should also commit to sending their children to school every day. There should be an onus on the parents to advise the school if a child will be absent due to sickness or family circumstances. Parents should instil in their children the importance of education and the necessity to attend all of their classes.

Adec has also targeted safety issues concerning school transport, by prohibiting the use of minibuses and making sure the existing rules about inspecting school buses – brought in after a tragedy in 2009 – are rigorously enforced. But there is still more to do, including ensuring children are safe as they board and exit buses. The next step is to ensure that all bus supervisors are competent, vigilant and well-trained on safety procedures. Schools should also regularly audit their grounds and equipment for potential safety hazards

Keeping children safe cannot be the responsibility of one party. It requires the vigilance of parents, school officials and everyone who works with students.