Hopes riding high on Sanabis school

Manama : With the opening of the renovated Sanabis Primary Girls’ School round the corner, hopes are riding high for the residents of the village in the Capital Governorate. 

The school, which was closed by the Education Ministry in July citing safety-related reasons, is set to open by the third week of this month.

The area’s parliamentary representative, MP Adel Hameed, told DT News yesterday that maintenance works were going on in full swing. “The school would be reopened in the new school year 2016-2017, which is set to begin right after Eid Al Adha holidays.”

As reported last month, Prime Minister HRH Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa visited the school on August 9. He ordered the concerned authorities, including Works, Municipalities Affairs and Urban Planning and Education Ministries, to swiftly revamp the school and prepare it to receive students by the beginning of the new school year.

The Premier’s instructions were widely welcomed by the residents of Sanabis, the school’s administration, teachers and students, who protested against the ministry’s decision to close the school without providing an adequate solution.

“The residents of Sanabis are pleased and thankful to the Premier’s directives. They could see the development of the maintenance works, which are continuing day and night at the school,” MP Hameed said.

The MP informed that he had discussed the latest developments with the Prime Minister at his weekly Majlis on Sunday. Hameed said that the government was in the process of acquiring land for the school. The representative also affirmed that the existing building would be demolished and a new modern building would be built on the same location. 

“I’m currently studying a parliamentary proposal. I will submit it before the House of Representatives to build a primary and intermediate girls’ school at the same location to accommodate the increasing numbers of students in the area. There are around 550 students that are registered at this school alone,” he elaborated.

“A modern and comprehensive facility is required in the area. The building process should begin by summer 2017 and would take a couple of years to be completed. An appropriate alternative would be provided to the students, while the new building is completed,” Hameed added. 

The MP, who’s a member of the Financial and Economic Affairs Parliamentary Committee, said that he will ensure including the new school project in the Government Public Budget and Action Plan for the next fiscal year, which is expected to be endorsed by the parliament during the upcoming months.

It’s noteworthy that Sanabis Primary Girls’ School was established in 1968 and is one of the oldest school buildings in the Kingdom. Teachers and students had repeatedly complained about the deteriorating conditions of the school in the past two years, as it became rodent-infested and parts of the school building had reportedly collapsed on more than one occasion.