Parents allege school lets teachers beat up students

Parents lodge complaint with the Ministry of Education and the Ajman Education Zone; headmaster denies claims.

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By Afkar Abdullah/principal Correspondent

Published: Tue 27 Jan 2015, 12:44 AM

Last updated: Thu 25 Jun 2015, 7:51 PM

Ajman — The parents of some students of a school in Ajman have lodged a complaint against its headmaster, accusing him of breaking education rules by “allowing teachers to beat up students and use verbal abuse; and receive bribes to give students high marks in exams”.

The complaint, which has been signed by many parents, has been sent to the Ministry of Education and the Ajman Education Zone.

According to the complaint, a copy of which is with Khaleej Times, the headmaster ignored complaints and suggestions given by students and their parents. The school has become a “hotbed of chaos”, they said. The parents KT spoke with said no action has been taken so far.

They said the headmaster rejected their request to form a parents’ council. He also reportedly rejected their request for installing cameras to stop teachers from assaulting their children. “A structure in the school which provides shade to students fell some six months ago, but it is yet to be repaired. The food in the canteen is also not sufficient for all students,” a parent said.

In the complaint, the parents have demanded that a special investigation committee be formed to ensure better education and learning environment in the school.

Ali Hassan, Director of the Ajman Education Zone, told KT that they have not received any official complaint in this regard. “The department does not deal with complaints that don’t have the names of the complainants,” he said. He stressed that the headmaster concerned is “performing his duty perfectly”. “We have inspection teams ... which visit schools regularly to identify problems and deal with complaints. Students’ interest is the top priority.”

The headmaster, Rashid Seed Al Badawi, dismissed the allegations as “malicious, baseless and fabricated”. “We didn’t receive any complaints, as and when we do, we deal with them professionally.

“Our school recently received the ISO certification for the first time,” he said. 

He said a grade 12 student of the school secured first rank in the emirate — and fifth in the UAE — in the high school examinations conducted last year.

He also said that the structure that provides shade to students collapsed in the recent rains that lashed the emirate and that a request has been forwarded to the authorities concerned for its repair. — afkarali@khaleejtimes.com

Afkar Abdullah/principal Correspondent

Published: Tue 27 Jan 2015, 12:44 AM

Last updated: Thu 25 Jun 2015, 7:51 PM

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