Abu Dhabi: Kuwait schools used by ministries as shelters for isolation as part of the procedures to stem the coronavirus pandemic, were sabotaged and those being kept in isolation and volunteers encroached upon teachers’ personal belongings, Al Qabas reported Wednesday.
Photos and videos, posted on social media over the past couple of days, showed a group of illegal residents tampering with various educational aids, electrical appliances, school music instruments and devices of school radio stations, and turning the theatres and yards of these facilities into discos, in scenes that have offended educationists, the newspaper said.
The offences did not stop there, but Kuwaiti volunteers broke into male and female teachers rooms and published video clips inside them using their personal possessions.
Educationists have reacted with dismay and indignation at these scenes and said that teachers’ personal computers, projectors and other possessions may have been damaged or lost.
At the same time, they wondered: Did the Ministry take stock of the schools before they were delivered? Who is responsible for compensating teachers if their personal belongings are lost, let alone school facilities?
“And who will fix what some spoil? Where is the role of the security guards and police officers responsible for protecting these buildings? When will more than 370 educational facilities currently being utilised undergo maintainance? How long will this take?”
Necessary awareness campaigns
Teachers and educational officials told Al Qabas that those who fool around in schools are unaware of the sanctity and value of these buildings, calling on the competent authorities to conduct the necessary awareness campaigns to educate the public about respecting these important facilities that are centres for the education and raising of children and future generations.
The assistant undersecretary for educational development and activities, the official spokesman of the Ministry of Education, Faisal Al Maqasid, confirmed that the ministries and government agencies using these school facilities are responsible for any damage to buildings or classrooms.
Al Maqasid said what is happening in these educational facilities is unfortunate and totally unacceptable, and everyone should bear their responsibilities.
