Saudi Arabia: Schoolteacher dies in classroom

Cairo: A female schoolteacher passed away in front of students at a secondary school in the Saudi capital Riyadh, her family said.

The teacher, identified as Sheikha Ateeq, collapsed in the classroom at the school in the Riyadh district of Al Seweidi on Thursday, her father told online newspaper Sabq.

“The school head with help from other teachers contacted the ambulance service that transported her to the hospital,” the father added. The teacher was found dead due to a heart attack.

“Thank Allah, she died while she was observing [voluntary Islamic] fasting as she used to fast every Thursday and Monday. She also died while undertaking her mission in teaching,” he said.

The age of the late teacher was not given.

The new school year began in Saudi Arabia in late August with reintroduction of in-person classes after a suspension of more than a year due to the global coronavirus pandemic.