The death of a student at a private school allegedly due to pneumonia a few weeks ago sparked anger. Some parents said that it was cholera, while some were reluctant to send their children to school. This is scary news, no doubt. Parents are right to be concerned for the safety of their children in schools, while the school also has a right to defend itself before everyone. Also, it is the duty of the ministry of health to ensure the safety of students and their health and make sure they are free from infectious diseases, especially when we talk about a disease such as cholera.

The ministry must be involved in verification of all these issues - it is natural that news of the spread of a deadly virus will arouse fear even among those who do not send their children to this particular school. It shouldn't be ignored to please any party.

The principal of the private school denied the allegation that any student of the school died of pneumonia. The principal also said the health ministry had examined the schoolchildren and denied the spread of any epidemic amongst them. I completely understand the situation of the school administration. They have every right to defend their reputation and business.

The school administration stressed that the school is safe. The ministry of health denied the spread of cholera or pneumonia in any school. Representatives of the ministry of health from the departments of preventive medicine and school health visited the school and denied any epidemic within it. But the parents expressed their dissatisfaction with the school administration and its failure to take preventive measures to protect their children. Some even prevented their children from going to school until the issuance of an official report from the ministry of health confirms it is free from any viruses or infectious diseases.

It's good that this incident opened people's eyes and encouraged them to talk publicly about the kind of academic environment provided by private schools to students, the majority of whom are expatriates. In this particular incident, the owner of the school showed up and tried to speak to the parents. He was told about the need to clean the school and improve ventilation.

A lot of parents complain frequently about the large number of students in classes at private schools, but no one responds. The number of students can reach up to 40, and the likelihood of the spread of viruses, even if it is just common cold, increases. Some children have weak immune systems which increases the possibility to catch viruses.

Anyway, the MoH is insisting there is no infectious virus and the parents are raging. The ministry of education needs to verify the authenticity of the matter, as the death of a young student should not go unnoticed. I also believe that exaggeration has no justification, and people must wait for the final report and then decide to be angry or not...