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Abu Dhabi school to shut down despite court order

Adec confirms August closure of Al Worood Academy Private School after Abu Dhabi Court of Appeals overturns lower court's verdict to shut down the school.

Abu Dhabi - The closure of Al Worood Academy Private School in the Capital by the end of the current academic year is “final”, confirmed the Abu Dhabi Education Council (Adec) on Tuesday.

 There was some confusion over the school’s fate as the Abu Dhabi Court of Appeals on Monday overturned a lower court’s verdict to shut down the school after a kindergarten student died in the school’s bus last year.

School regulator Adec said its earlier decision to revoke the school’s operating licence by August this year stands. “Adec had decided to shut down the school due to negligence in adhering to safety and security measures particularly with regards to the school’s transportation system,” Adec said in a statement.

The appellate court upheld the Dh50,000 fine slapped on the school and ruled that it needs to pay Dh100,000 as blood money.

The court reduced the bus driver’s sentence to six months and that of the supervisor to one year and ordered them to pay a fine of Dh20,000 each. The Misdemeanours Court had sentenced them to three years in jail.

On October 7 last year, Nizaha Aalaa, 4, a student at Al Worood, died of heat exhaustion and suffocation after she was left “forgotten” and locked inside her school bus. -olivia@khaleejtimes.com