UAE court upholds decision to close school after girl's death

The Abu Dhabi Cassation Court has upheld the decision by the Abu Dhabi Education Council (ADEC) which ordered Al Worood Academy Private School to close by the end of August 2015 after a three-year-old Indian girl, died from heat exhaustion after being locked in a sweltering school bus.

Nizaha Alaa Ahmed, a KG1 pupil at the Abu Dhabi school died outside Al Worood  School on October 7, 2014.

Abu Dhabi Misdemeanour court had in February 2015 handed the Pakistani bus driver and Filipina supervisor three-year jail terms after they were found guilty of negligence in causing the child's death but they appealed the sentences.

Both the Appeal and Cassation courts upheld the first ruling but reduced the jail sentences for bus driver and supervisor to six months and one year respectively.

The Lebanese school administrator was acquitted of the charge of failing to check student records that day.

The school had earlier been fined Dh150,000 but the judge reduced it to Dh50,000.

The appeal court had also canceled an earlier ruling that revoked the licence of the school by Adec after the school argued that the blame for child's death was on individuals and not the school.

ADEC, however, appealed the sentence at Abu Dhabi's top court stressing that there were major irregularities in the school's transportation system.

And in the final ruling on Saturday, the Cassation Court verdict said that the girl's death was not an individual incident, but due to negligence in adhering to safety and security measures on the part of the school which posed danger to the lives and safety of the children.

ADEC said the decision to revoke the school's operating licence by the end of the school year 2014-2015, was because of a number of legislative acts, in addition to Article No 83 on violating the council rules and regulations, as part of the Abu Dhabi Private School Regulations.

According to ADEC, it decided to shut down the Al Woord school due to negligence in adhering to safety and security measures particularly with regards to the schools transportation system.

ADEC continued running the school's financial and administrative affairs until Al Worood shut down in August 2015.

The Court of Cassation last year ruled that the blood money to Nizaha's family  be paid by the school, its principal and the bus driver and supervisor.