Girl beaten up during school recess suffers haemorrhage

The Abu Dhabi Education Council (Adec) is investigating the case of an Emirati girl who suffered from brain haemorrhage and underwent surgery after she was beaten by four younger boys at her school during a recess.

The Grade 7 student from a private school is now out of the intensive care unit (ICU) but still receiving medical treatment from the hospital.

According to the Adec, a committee from the Private Schools and Quality Assurance Sector was tasked to investigate the case after receiving a letter from the school informing them that a parent has made a complaint to the Mussafah police station against the principal, alleging that his daughter was beaten at the school and was admitted to the ICU on the same day.

The Arabic newspaper, Emarat Al Youm, reported that on Thursday the girl accidentally bumped into a boy in the fourth grade who then pushed her back. When she retaliated, three other boys from his class joined the fray. They pushed her down and took turns kicking her in the head and stomach.

She blacked out before receiving first aid from the school. She then started to vomit and sweat heavily. The school called her father who took her home. At home, the girl vomited again, prompting her father to rush her to the hospital where scan showed severe internal bleeding in the brain.

She was kept in the ICU for two days and underwent surgery on Saturday to stop the bleeding.

Doctors told family members that she may have to go abroad to receive further treatment and prevent the risk of stroke in future.

The aggrieved father has lambasted the school for not revealing the incident to him, claiming that his daughter only suffered from exhaustion and that she needed some rest, Emarat Al Youm reported.

He also accused the school of negligence and for failing to provide protection for its students during break time.

“The committee has investigated the details of the incident and met all the parties concerned — the social worker, psychologist, the nurse and the sister of the student who studies with her at the same school, in addition to the four boys from Grade 4 who were involved in the fight,” said an Adec statement.

The council is currently awaiting the report from the police and the medical report from the hospital.

olivia@khaleejtimes.com