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School under scrutiny for denying student food and water

Sharjah - Sharjah Education Zone has launched an investigation on a case of seven-year-old student who was allegedly denied food and water.

The Sharjah Education Zone, under instruction of the Ministry of Education (MoE), has launched an investigation into the case of a seven-year-old student who was not allowed to drink and eat throughout the day while in school. The grade 2 student from a private school in Sharjah was detained in the nursing room and not allowed to eat all day despite him complaining of hunger. The management claimed that the student was detained due to lack of personal hygiene.
The mother of the child has lodged a complaint at the MoE against the school and the case has been referred for investigation.
According to the mother, her son was detained between 9am and 1.30pm. He was not allowed to attend classes, too. She added that her son had asked the nurse to allow him to bring his lunch box and water from the class, but she refused. His classmate who came to the nurse's room with food was not allowed to enter the room.
The mother said she received a call from school saying her son had issues related to personal hygiene and was being isolated and that she must go to the school to pick him up. She, however, informed the school that since she was at work she would be able to pick up her son only at 1.30pm. She said her son was very tired from thirst and hunger when she went to pick him up. "They tortured my son, and it has affected him psychologically. He will not like school any more," she said.
According to the nurse, she was only doing her duty. She added that she brought him food, but he refused to eat.
Top officials of the education zone said the committee heard both sides and referred the case to private schools department of MoE for action. "Schools must find suitable ways to handle such issues."
The school's management has said that they are keen to ensure the safety and health of students and will not tolerate any kind of ill-treatment from teachers or any staff against students. The management has also urged parents not to only listen to their children, but to also meet the school officials before they lodge complaints with the MoE.
afkarali@khaleejtimes.com